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OCEAN  LIFE 

IN  THE 

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OLD  SAILING-SHIP  DAYS 


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JOHN  D.WHIDDEN 


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OCEAN  LIFE  IN  THE  OLD 
SAILING  SHIP  DAYS 


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OCEAN    LIFE 

IN  THE  OLD  SAILING 

SHIP  DAYS 

From  Forecastle  to  Quarter-deck 

BY 
CAPTAIN  JOHN  D.  WHIDDEN 


The  sea!  the  sea!  the  open  sea, 

The  blue,  the  fresh,  the  ever  free! 

Without  a  mark,  without  a  bound, 

It  runneth  the  earth's  wide  regions'  round; 

It  plays  with  the  clouds;  it  mocks  the  skies; 

Or  like  a  cradled  creature  lies. 

The  Sea— BRYAN  W.  PKOCTBB. 


With  29  Illustrations  from  Photographs 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND   COMPANY 

1914 


Copyright,  1908, 
BY  JOHN  D.  WHIDDBN. 

All  rights  reserved. 


J.  PABKHILL  &  Co.,  BOSTON,  U.S.A. 


TO 

CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  W.  CLAPP  OF  NANTUCKET 

DEAR  OLD  BOY:  —  Although  nearly  fourscore  years 
have  silvered  your  head,  you  yet  retain  your  mirth  and 
sense  of  humor,  as  evidenced  by  your  frequent  letters, 
which  have  been  to  me  a  source  of  inspiration.  To  you, 
then,  in  memory  of  the  many  pleasant  days  passed  in 
genial  companionship  in  old  Montevideo,  S.  A.,  upwards  of 
forty  years  ago,  this  work  is  affectionately  dedicated  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 

BOSTON,  1908. 


PREFACE 

"  CAPTAIN,  why  don't  you  write  a  book?  " 

This  question  has  been  often  asked  me  when  relating 
some  tale  of  adventure  or  humorous  anecdote  of  my  sea 
life. 

"  For  the  reason  that  I  know  nothing  of  book  writing," 
I  have  replied.  "  A  school  experience  of  seventy  years 
ago,  cut  short  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  was  not  likely 
to  leave  a  boy,  however  bright,  with  a  high  order  of 
literary  attainment." 

But,  as  years  rolled  on,  after  giving  up  the  sea  as  a 
profession,  I  concluded  to  jot  down  from  memory  my 
quarter-century's  sea  experience. 

The  characters  are  from  life,  the  scenes  and  incidents 
as  they  appeared  to  me  at  the  time,  in  a  story  of  a  New 
England  boy's  career  from  the  age  of  twelve  to  thirty- 
seven. 

An  orphan  at  five,  on  shipboard  at  twelve,  exposed  to 
temptation  in  every  port,  subjected  to  the  rough  usage 
and  strict  discipline  of  our  merchant  marine  of  sixty 
years  ago,  serving  apprenticeship  as  boy,  ordinary,  and 
able  seaman  in  the  forecastle,  graduating  to  third,  second, 
and  first  officer  with  quarters  in  the  land  of  knives  and 
forks,  i.  e.  the  ship's  cabin,  and  the  sacred  precincts  of 
the  quarter-deck,  ending  with  the  command  and  part 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

ownership  of  a  fine  craft;  in  all  that  time  his  feet  clear 
of  a  ship's  plank  but  twelve  months. 

There  certainly  should  be  something  interesting  in 
such  an  experience. 

The  old-time  sailing  ships,  with  all  the  incidents  con- 
nected with  them,  the  captains  who  commanded  and 
sailed  them,  the  old-time  sailors — jolly  old  sea-dogs  — 
who  manned  them,  are  all  of  the  past,  and  with  them 
departed  the  glamour  and  the  romance  of  the  sea,  never 
to  return. 

The  march  of  progress  never  halts.  Steamers  have 
supplanted  the  old-time  sailing  ships  in  a  great  degree, 
canvas  has  given  way  to  machinery  and  steam,  steel  and 
iron  have  been  substituted  for  wood,  sailors  are  super- 
seded by  engineers  with  their  assistants,  while  the  captain 
and  officers  of  to-day  must  be  proficient  in  the  knowledge 
of  steam  and  machinery,  ere  they  can  hope  for  a  command. 

The  young  men  of  the  present  generation  know  but 
little  of  the  old-time  shipping,  or  the  old  sailing-ship  days, 
and  in  these  pages  to  a  certain  extent  the  writer  has 
endeavored  to  reproduce  them. 

Nearly  all  the  veteran  shipmasters,  graduates  of  the 
old  school,  so  many  of  whom  I  well  knew,  have  furled 
their  sails  and  dropped  anchor,  let  us  hope,  in  a  safe, 
restful  harbor,  life's  troubled  voyage  ended. 

Some  few  yet  remain,  and  to  all  such  I  give  hearty 
greeting,  trusting  they  will  derive  much  pleasure  from 
a  perusal  of  these  pages,  which  may  be  to  them  a  reminder 
of  their  former  lives. 

The  writer  has  long  since  given  up  the  sea  as  a  pro- 
fession, but  the  salt  sea  breeze  is  still  more  grateful  than 
the  scent  of  roses,  and  on  the  waters  of  old  ocean  his 
happiest  days  were  spent. 

Thanking  my  many  friends  for  their  words  of  encourage- 


PREFACE  ix 

ment,  trusting  the  work  will  meet  with  favor  from  the 
public,  and  be  accorded  a  hearty  welcome  in  memory  of 
the  bygone  days  of  the  old  sailing  ships,  I  remain, 

Heartily  yours, 

JOHN  D.  WHIDDEN. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTBB  PAGB 

I.    IN     THE    FORECASTLE.  —  THE    HALF    CLIPPER 

"ARIEL" 1 

II.     BOYS'  DUTIES   IN   THE  FORECASTLE AT  NEW 

YORK  LOADING  FOR  LIVERPOOL        ...       12 

III.  THE  PASSAGE   TO   LIVERPOOL.  —  JACK   AFLOAT 

AND  ASHORE 25 

IV.  CROSSING  THE  LINE.  —  FERNANDO   NOROHNA.  — 

THE  MALAYS 32 

V.    BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER.  —  LOADING 

TEAS.  —  HOMEWARD  BOUND      ....      41 
VI.     Rio  DE  JANEIRO.  —  CAPE  HORN.  —  OTAHEITE     .       52 
VII.     SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU.  —  CALIFORNIA 

GOLD  FEVER 59 

VIII.     WHALING    IN    '48 AGAIN    TAHITI ESCAPE 

TO    THE    HILLS.  —  DINNER    IN    THE    FRENCH 

RESTAURANT      , 68 

IX.     SAN     FRANCISCO.  —  ASTORIA.  —  PORTLAND.  — 

GENUINE  RED  MEN 79 

X.     CHILE  AND  PERU.  —  ITALY.  —  COTTON  •  SCREWING 

AND  "  CHANTIES  "  ON  NEW  ORLEANS  LEVEES  .       89 
XI.     ASHORE   ON   TERRA   DEL    FUEGO.  —  CAPE   PEM- 
BROKE. —  PORT    STANLEY.  —  AN    INTERNA- 
TIONAL INCIDENT       ......     102 

XIL     FISHING   ON    THE    GRAND  BANKS. — MAYAGUEZ, 
PORTO  Rico.  —  SAVANNAH,  GA.  —  ASHORE  ON 
THE  DRY  TORTUGAS       .        .        .        .        .        115 

xi 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


OHAPTKB  PAGE 

XIII.  CALCUTTA.   —  JUGGERNAUT.  —  CEYLON.  — 

MAURITIUS —  ST.  HELENA.  —  NEW  ORLEANS     124 

XIV.  CAPTAIN  MEACOM'S  IDEAS.  —  OBSERVANCE  OF 

THE   SABBATH.  —  SOCIAL  LIFE  IN  CALCUTTA. 

—  ANIMAL  LIFE  ON  SHIPBOARD    .        .        .     134 
XV.     CAPTAIN   OF   THE    "  LITTLE    LIZZIE."  —  HUR- 
RICANE   OFF    RlO    DE    LA   PLATA.  —  BUENOS 

AYRES  IN  WINTER.  —  DINNERS,  LUNCHES, 
HORSEBACK  RIDING.  —  BARQUE  ON  FIRE  .  150 
XVI.  NEW  ORLEANS  IN  WINTER.  —  BALLS,  OPERAS, 
ETC.  —  THE  FRENCH  MARKET  AT  SUNRISE.  — 
To  MARSEILLES — THE  SHIP  "J.  P.  WHIT- 
NEY."   163 

XVII.     TAKING   THE   BLACK   VEIL   IN    SICILY.  —  RE- 
TURN  VOYAGE    TO   NEW    ORLEANS.  —  TRE- 
MENDOUS ROLLS   AND    AN    ANIMATED  OME- 
LETTE. —  A  WEDDING  PARTY  ON  SHIPBOARD.     179 
XVIII.    BUYING  INTO  THE  "  C.  H.  JORDAN."  —  A  PRO- 
TRACTED   CALM    IN    THE    TROPICS.  —  THE 
SALADERO   DE    LA   FONDA,  MONTEVIDEO.  — 
THE   EFFECT    OF    THE    WAR    ON    FOREIGN 
TRADE     .........     191 

XIX.     THE  FIASCO  OF  PROFESSOR  LOVE THE  DOM 

PEDRO  RAILROAD.  —  BRAZILIAN  FORESTS.  — 
Rio  JANEIRO  TO  ST.  THOMAS       .         .         .     202 
XX.     LIVELY  CHASE   BY   A   PRIVATEER.  —  IN   COM- 
MAND OF  SHIP  "DANUBE." — HEAVY  GALE. 

—  CHINESE    PIRATES.  —  THE    «  ARIEL  "    AT 
SHANGHAI 211 

XXI.  FLYING    THROUGH     FORMOSA    STRAITS.  —  IN 

SIGHT  DAILY  OF  "  MOUNTAIN  WAVE  "  FROM 
MANILA  TO  MADAGASCAR.  —  FAREWELL  TO 
OLD  CAPE  HORN.  —  SAN  FRANCISCO  AFTER 
FOURTEEN  YEARS 221 

XXII.  THE  PILOT  SERVICE  IN  '63.  —  PACIFIC  MAIL 

STEAMSHIPS.  —  ACAPULCO.  —  ISTHMUS    OF 


CONTENTS 


xlii 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

PANAMA.  —  SUPERCARGO  TO  THE  BAHAMA 
ISLANDS.  —  SCHOONER  «  ELIZABETH  "  .  .  236 

XXIII.  COASTING  IN  THE  BAHAMAS.  —  SOCIABILITY  A 

PROMOTER  OF  TRADE.  —  EXTRA  CARE  IN 
FRUIT  TRANSPORTATION.  —  FAMOUS  BLOCK- 
ADE RUNNERS.  —  END  OF  THE  WAR  A  BLOW 
TO  NASSAU 245 

XXIV.  THE  BARQUE   "KEYSTONE."  —  WAR   SCENES 

AT  RICHMOND  AND  PETERSBURG.  —  RIVER 

GlRONDE  AND  BORDEAUX. HAPPY  OCEAN 

LIFE  IN  OLD  SAILING  SHIP  DAYS          .        .     254 
XXV.     FOUR  MONTHS  AT  FEVER -STRICKEN  BUENOS 
AYRES.  —  THREE  HUNDRED  SAIL  IN  PORT. 
—  THE   BOTANICAL   GARDENS  OF  Rio  JA- 
NEIRO. —  A  WEIRD  NIGHT  AT  BOTOFOGO    .     263 
XXVI.     BAHIA.  —  OUR  LADY  OF  BOM  FIM.  —  DINNER 
PARTIES   ON    SHIPBOARD.  —  CAPE    CLEAR 

LIGHT.  —  LIVERPOOL 273 

XXVII.    LIVERPOOL.  —  SPURGEON  AND  MYRTLE  STREET 
CHAPEL.  —  AN  IRISH    JAUNTING  -  CAB. — 
CAPTAINS'  WIVES  AT  SEA  ....     282 
XXVIII.    CHITTAGONG    AND    AKYAB.  —  AGAIN    THE 
BURNING   GHAUTS.  —  INTENSE  HEAT   DAY 
AND  NIGHT.  —  REDUCING  TEMPERATURE.  — 
FROM  AKYAB  TO  FALMOUTH,  ENGLAND      .     291 
XXIX.    THE  ISLE  OF  ST.  HELENA — LONGWOOD  AND 
THE    TOMB    OF    NAPOLEON.  —  FALMOUTH, 

ENGLAND ANTWERP,  BELGIUM        .        .     300 

XXX.  THE  DECADENCE  OF  THE  SAILING  SHIPS. — 
THE  WAR  TARIFF.  —  AMERICAN  SHIPPING 
UNDER  FOREIGN  FLAGS.  —  THE  MERCHANT 
MARINE  THE  SCHOOL  OF  RESERVE  FOR  THE 
NAVY.  —  FAREWELL  TO  THE  "  KEYSTONE  * 
AT  ANTWERP  .  .  809 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGB 

PORTRAIT  OF  THE  AUTHOR  ....  Frontispiece 
WASHINGTON  STREET,  MARBLEHEAD,  IN  1840,  SHOWING 

TOWNHOUSE  AND  OLD  SALEM  STAGE        ...        2 
THE  OLD  HOME  AT  MARBLEHEAD,  FORMERLY  THE  RESI- 
DENCE   OF    GENERAL    JOHN    GLOVER    OF    REVOLU- 
TIONARY FAME 13 

LONGWOOD,  ST.  HELENA,  PRISON  HOME  OF  NAPOLEON  .  48 
BOTOFOGO  BAY  AND  PEAKS  OF  GABIA  AND  CORCOVADA, 

Rio  DE  JANEIRO 48 

SAN  FRANCISCO  IN  1849 83 

BARQUE  "CORNELIA  L.  BEVAN,"  OLD -TIME  BALTIMORE 

CLIPPER,  OFF  PALERMO 83 

OFF   FOR   THE   GRAND   BANKS  IN  1845.     "  ROUND  THE 

ROCKS  OF  MARBLEHEAD" 116 

APPLETON'S   WHARF,   MARBLEHEAD,    1840.      OLD -TIME 

FISHING  SCHOONERS  FITTING  OUT    .        .        .        .119 
OFF  THE  GHAUTS  AT  CALCUTTA.      SHIPPING  LYING  AT 

MOORINGS 140 

MONTEVIDEO  BAY,  SHOWING  MOUNT,  URUGUAY  .  .  155 
MOUTH  OF  RIVER  CHACO  AND  WAREHOUSES,  BUENOS 

AYRES 155 

BARQUE  "  AZOF  "  OFF  MARSEILLES.      A  FINE  TYPE  OF 

THE  OLD -TIME  FREIGHTER 169 

MODEL   OF   SHIP   "Is  A  AC    JEANES,"    CAPTAIN    WILLIAM 

CHIPMAN 178 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  CHIPMAN,  BARNSTABLE,  MASS.  .  .  184 
SHIP  "  J.  P.  WHITNEY  "  AT  PORT  OF  MALTA  .  .  .190 
CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  W.  CLAPP,  NANTUCKET,  MASS.  .  .  197 

xv 


xvi  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAG* 

SHIP   "DANIEL  I.  TENNEY"  OF  NEWBURYPORT,  MASS., 

LEAVING  HAVRE 212 

SHIP  "EDWARD  HYMEN"  OF  CASTINE,  MAINE.  A  FINE 

SPECIMEN  OF  THE  OLD  MERCHANT  MARINE  .  .  212 
SHIP  "DANUBE  "  AT  ANCHOR  OFF  VICTORIA,  HONG- KONG  230 
QUAYS  AND  RIVER  FRONTAGE,  BORDEAUX  .  .  .  258 
QUAI  Louis  XVIII  AND  LIGHT  -  TOWERS,  RIVER  Gi- 

RONDE,  BORDEAUX 258 

Rio  DE  JANEIRO,  ENTRANCE  TO  BAY.  GLORIA  HILL  AND 

SUGAR  LOAF 267 

Rio  DE  JANEIRO.  AQUEDUCT  FROM  THE  CORCOVADA, 

TWELVE  MILES  DISTANT.  THE  CITY'S  WATER  SUPPLY  269 

CITY  OF  BAHIA  IN  1868 274 

Rio  DE  JANEIRO.  CATHEDRAL  AND  PALACE  SQUARE  .  277 
SHIP  "  IMPORTER  "  PASSING  ROCK  LIGHT,  ENTRANCE  TO 

RIVER  MERSEY,  LIVERPOOL 285 

CAPTAIN  GEORGE  T.  AVERY,  NEWBURYPORT,  MASS.  .  295 
BARQUE  «  KEYSTONE  "  OFF  HOLYHEAD,  WALES,  FROM 

BAHIA  FOR  LIVERPOOL 303 


OCEAN  LIFE  IN  THE  OLD 
SAILING  SHIP  DAYS 


CHAPTER   I 

1832  -  1845 


IN  THE   FORECASTLE.  —  THE   HALF  CLIPPER   "  ARIEL  " 


I  WAS  born  on  High  Street  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  the 
year  1832,  and  lost  my  parents  when  I  was  but  five  years 
of  age.  My  mother  died  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  where 
my  father  was  engaged  in  business,  and  my  father  died 
in  Savannah,  Georgia,  the  year  after.  Upon  their  decease, 
my  grandparents  having  taken  charge  of  my  sister  and 
myself,  we  were  brought  up  in  their  family  at  Marble- 
head,  Mass.,  and  I  attended  the  public  schools  until  I 
attained  the  age  of  twelve  years. 

At  this  time  I  was  called  a  very  fair  scholar,  well  up 
in  reading,  writing,  and  geography,  fair  in  arithmetic, 
and  intensely  interested  in  books  of  travel  and  adventure, 
while  all  works  treating  of  the  sea,  tales  of  travel  in 
foreign  lands,  shipwrecks  and  everything  pertaining  to 
the  ocean,  had  a  very  great  fascination  for  me. 

Marblehead  being  a  seaport  town,  my  time,  when  not 
in  school  or  employed  around  the  house  doing  chores, 
was  spent  with  my  companions  about  the  wharves, 
swimming  or  climbing  about  the  vessels  at  the  docks, 

1 


2  OCEAN    LIFE 

rowing  around  the  harbor  in  the  small  boats,  or  dories, 
that  we  would  borrow  from  the  various  captains  or 
skippers  of  the  fishing  craft,  —  mostly  schooners  from 
fifty  to  ninety  tons  burthen,  engaged  in  the  Grand  Banks 
fisheries,  of  which  at  this  time  there  was  a  fleet  of  nearly 
a  hundred  sail,  all  hailing  from  and  owned  in  Marblehead. 

What  a  treat  for  us  boys  when  a  square  rigger  —  as 
we  designated  all  barks,  ships,  and  brigs  —  came  sailing 
into  the  harbor,  perhaps  from  Cadiz,  Spain,  laden  with 
salt  for  the  fishing  fleet  to  take  to  the  Grand  Banks  of 
Newfoundland  for  their  spring  fares,  and  when  she 
hauled  into  the  wharf  to  discharge  her  cargo  into  the 
salt  sheds,  how  we  youngsters  swarmed  on  board,  explor- 
ing every  nook  and  cranny  of  her,  climbing  over  her  rig- 
ging, daring  each  other  to  mount  higher  and  higher,  until 
with  a  feeling  of  triumph  I  at  last  placed  my  cap  upon 
the  main  royal  truck,  the  highest  point,  and  looking 
down  saw  the  admiring,  though  envious,  gaze  of  my  young 
companions ! 

Then,  again,  to  sit  around  the  foVsle  after  the  work 
for  the  day  was  over,  to  see  the  sailors  at  their  meals, 
and  hear  them  spin  their  yarns,  was  happiness  indeed. 

To  go  to  sea,  become  a  sailor,  visit  foreign  lands,  and 
in  due  time  become  the  captain  of  a  fine  ship,  this  was 
the  goal  to  be  looked  forward  to,  the  great  aim  of  our 
lives.  It  certainly  was  of  mine,  and  I  judge  of  all,  or 
nearly  all,  of  my  playmates. 

My  grandparents  were  not  in  favor  of  my  adopting  a 
sailor's  life,  wishing  me  to  learn  a  trade,  but  to  this  I 
was  opposed,  and  rang  the  changes  upon  the  advantages 
of  a  seafaring  life,  until  they  gave  way  and  consented. 

Shortly  after  this  decision,  on  my  return  from  school 
one  day  I  was  ushered  into  the  parlor,  where  sat  a  gentle- 
man in  conversation  with  my  grandmother,  to  whom  I 


IN    THE    FORECASTLE  3 

was  introduced.  He  was  Captain  James  King,  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  and  I  learned  for  the  first  time  that  I  was  to  join 
the  ship  he  commanded  in  two  weeks,  the  ship  being  the 
fine  new  half  clipper  named  the  "Ariel,"  just  launched, 
and  lying  at  Newburyport,  bound  round  to  New  York  to 
load  flour  for  Liverpool,  England,  from  thence  to  China, 
she  having  been  built  for  a  Canton  trader. 

This  was  joyful  news  indeed,  and  I  went  out  from  the 
parlor,  after  making  my  best  bow  and  answering  all  his 
questions  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  the  happiest  boy  in 
the  old  town. 

During  our  conversation,  my  grandmother  touched 
upon  my  good  qualities,  and  said  to  Captain  King  that 
she  did  not  see  how  she  could  part  with  me,  I  was  so 
useful  and  willing  to  do  anything  about  the  house,  such 
a  help  to  her,  etc.,  etc.,  to  all  of  which  I  listened  in  con- 
siderable astonishment,  for,  while  my  grandmother  was 
one  of  the  best  of  souls  and  very  fond  of  me,  yet  I  was 
constantly  getting  into  trouble,  and  received  more 
scoldings,  no  doubt  richly  deserved,  than  pettings.  In 
fact,  at  this  time  I  had  fallen  into  disgrace,  and  I  after- 
ward thought  it  the  predisposing  cause  of  her  consent 
being  obtained  to  my  going  to  sea. 

The  facts  were  as  follows:  At  regular  intervals  during 
the  year,  and  especially  about  the  holidays,  Thanksgiving 
and  Christmas,  my  grandmother  made  up  and  baked 
what  she  called  a  "  batch  "  of  pies,  —  mince,  apple,  and 
squash  predominating.  I  was  very  fond  of  pie,  and  at 
these  times  I  was  in  great  demand  to  peel  and  core 
apples,  seed  raisins,  chop  meat  and  suet  for  the  mince; 
taking  a  most  active  part,  and  a  very  willing  one,  in  all 
that  was  going  on  in  this  line. 

Then  came  the  baking.  Our  kitchen  was  large  and 
roomy,  and  the  fireplace  immense.  This  was  before 


4  OCEAN    LIFE 

cooking  stoves  came  into  use.  On  the  left  side  of  the 
fireplace  was  a  large  brick  oven,  where  all  the  baking 
was  done,  and  when  this  occurred  it  was  in  large  quantities, 
about  thirty  or  forty  pies  constituting  a  "  batch."  After 
baking,  they  were  stored  in  what  was  called  the  "  back 
chamber  closet,"  very  large  and  convenient,  having  tiers 
of  shelves  around  it,  there  to  remain  until  wanted.  It 
was  a  goodly  and  attractive  sight  to  my  eyes  whenever 
a  fresh  "  batch  "  was  stored  away.  I  longed  to  get  at 
them,  but  the  old  lady,  probably  feeling  that  I  was 
not  to  be  trusted  when  pies  were  around,  always  kept 
the  closet  locked  and  the  keys  stowed  safely  in  her  ample 
pocket.  My  little  bedroom  adjoined  this  chamber,  and 
in  going  and  returning  I  was  obliged  to  pass  through  it. 
Always  in  the  morning  I  invariably  tried  this  closet  door, 
and  always  found  it  locked,  but  this  morning  my  grand- 
mother had  forgotten  to  lock  it,  although  she  had  taken 
out  the  key!  I  could  hardly  credit  it.  Opening  the 
door  I  looked  in,  where  lay  the  rows  of  pies,  temptingly 
displayed  in  tiers,  shelf  over  shelf.  I  would  not  have 
stolen  money,  or  anything  else,  but  the  sight  was  too 
much,  and  I  yielded  to  temptation.  I  did  not  dare  take 
a  whole  pie,  as  that  would  be  missed  at  once.  To  cut  one 
would  be  open  to  the  same  objection,  i.  e.  discovery. 
I  pondered  awhile  how  I  should  enjoy  the  fruits  of  my 
"  find  "  and  yet  escape  detection.  A  brilliant  thought 
struck  me.  Slipping  down-stairs  I  entered  the  kitchen. 
My  grandma  was  busily  engaged,  and  I  could  see  was 
likely  to  be,  for  half  or  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  at  least. 
Hastily  smuggling  a  case-knife  into  my  pocket,  I  passed 
out  of  and  around  the  house  and  entered  by  the  side  door. 
Creeping  softly  up  the  back  stairs,  in  a  moment  I  was 
again  in  the  closet.  Standing  on  a  chair,  and  taking  a 
pie  from  the  top  shelf,  knowing  these  would  be  the  last 


IN    THE    FORECASTLE  5 

used,  I  inserted  the  thin  knife  between  the  upper  and 
lower  crusts,  and  working  carefully  round  was  able  to 
lift  the  top  crust  sufficiently  to  enable  me  to  get  at  and 
eat  all  the  mince  from  the  inside.  Carefully  replacing 
the  top  crust,  and  patting  the  edges  down,  the  pie  to  a 
casual  observer  showed  no  difference,  in  the  looks,  from 
any  other  pie.  Pleased  with  my  first  experiment,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  try  another,  and  did  not  finish  my  feast  until 
I  had  eaten  the  insides  out  of  six  or  seven  pies. 

Each  day  I  visited  the  closet  and  regaled  myself  on 
mince  or  apple  pie,  taking  no  note  of  the  number;  in 
short,  I  was  just  living  on  pie.  No  wonder  my  dear  old 
grandmother  thought  my  appetite  was  failing  and  grew 
anxious  about  me,  but  the  end  was  near! 

One  day,  on  my  return  from  school,  I  found  we  had 
company  to  tea,  two  or  three  ladies.  This  was  good  news, 
for  company  days  were  red  letter  days  to  me,  as  we 
always  had  something  extra  in  the  way  of  cake,  pre- 
serves, and  pies;  in  short,  a  great  addition  to  every-day 
fare. 

The  tea  was  ready,  the  table  nicely  laid,  and  the  guests 
seated  around  it,  my  grandmother  at  the  head  to  serve 
the  tea,  grandpa  at  her  left,  and  myself  at  her  right.  I 
can  see  her  now,  smiling,  and  beaming  upon  her  guests, 
as  she  glanced  around  the  well-appointed  board. 

Ann,  our  old  servant,  had  been  commissioned  to  bring 
down  two  or  three  pies,  which  were  on  the  hearth  in  front 
of  the  fire,  warming.  At  the  right  moment  one  of  the  pies 
was  placed  in  front  of  the  old  lady.  As  she  took  the 
knife  and  fork  in  her  hands  to  cut  it,  she  made  a  few 
remarks  on  how  she  made  her  pies,  how  careful  she  was 
to  select  the  ingredients,  etc.,  ending  with  the  query 
whether  Mrs.  Jones  would  prefer  apple  or  mince? 

"  Well,    really,    Mrs.    Appleton,"    replied    the    lady, 


6  OCEAN    LIFE 

"  they  look  so  nice,  I  believe  I'll  take  a  small  piece  of 
each." 

"  Why,  certainly,"  replied  my  grandmother,  laying  her 
knife  upon  the  pie,  which  crashed  through  it  like  an  egg- 
shell! 

I  shall  never  forget  the  feeling  of  terror  that  seized  me, 
or  the  look  of  astonishment  on  my  grandmother's  face, 
as  she  turned  reproachfully  to  Ann,  and  said: 

"  Why,  Ann!  You've  forgotten  to  put  any  mince  in 
this  pie,"  adding,  rather  sternly,  "  You  may  pass  me  up 
another  pie." 

Ann's  face  was  a  study.  She  was  a  splendid  cook,  and 
to  be  called  down  before  company  for  not  putting  mince 
or  apple  in  pies,  and  baking  them  without,  was  past  her 
comprehension.  She  could  not  understand  it.  Another 
pie  was  placed  upon  the  table,  and  again  the  old  lady 
started  to  cut  it,  meanwhile  apologizing  for  keeping  her 
guest  waiting.  Same  result!  Laying  down  her  knife 
and  fork,  she  looked  at  my  grandpa,  and  then  at  me. 

Although  not  a  word  had  been  said,  I  could  contain 
myself  no  longer  and  blurted  out,  "  I  didn't  do  it." 

This  of  course  was  a  dead  give-away. 

My  grandfather  arose,  and  taking  me  by  the  shoulder 
marched  me  to  the  door,  telling  me  to  go  to  bed,  and  he 
would  attend  to  me  by  and  by,  which  he  did,  and  I 
lost  all  appetite  for  pie  for  the  time  intervening  between 
this  event  and  my  leaving  home. 

The  illustration  facing  page  13  shows  the  home  of 
my  grandfather  Thomas  Appleton,  once  that  of  the 
Revolutionary  General  John  Glover. 

Now  came  the  bustle  of  preparation.  The  carpenter, 
old  Mr.  Jerry  Smith,  was  given  the  commission  to  make 
my  little  blue  sea-chest.  As  no  member  of  the  family 
had  ever  been  to  sea,  the  old  folks  were  somewhat  at  a 


IN    THE    FORECASTLE  7 

loss  as  to  what  I  would  require,  but  this  was  got  over 
by  pressing  into  the  service  old  Captain  Edmund  Bray, 
a  retired  shipmaster,  who  readily  entered  into  the  family 
councils,  and,  acting  on  his  suggestions,  my  outfit  was 
soon  completed  and  packed  away  in  my  chest. 

On  Monday  morning,  I  was  to  leave  home,  and  taking 
my  books  from  school  Friday  night  for  the  last  time,  I 
bade  the  master  good-by,  spending  Saturday  with  the 
boys  in  all  their  games,  it  being  a  holiday. 

Sunday  I  attended  church  all  day,  and  the  following 
morning  said  the  last  good-by,  and  started  for  the  station 
with  my  grandfather.  Arriving  a  little  before  train 
time,  he  spent  the  interval  in  giving  me  good  advice, 
which  I  am  afraid  was  not  listened  to  as  earnestly  as  it 
should  have  been,  when  handing  me  my  tickets  for  New- 
buryport,  with  six  new  half-dollars,  which  were  very 
highly  appreciated,  money  having  always  been  a  very 
scarce  article  during  my  school  days.  I  stepped  on  board 
the  train  and  in  a  few  moments  was  speeding  away 
toward  my  future  home,  at  least  it  would  be  my  home 
for  a  year  or  more. 

Arriving  at  Newburyport,  I  hired  a  conveyance  and 
was  driven  to  the  wharf  with  my  chest,  there  obtaining 
the  first  view  of  the  ship  in  which  I  was  to  make  my 
start  in  life,  and,  as  I  took  in  her  trim  appearance,  and 
looked  aloft  at  her  long,  tapering  spars,  realizing  that 
I  was  really  a  member  of  her  crew,  a  feeling  of  pride  came 
over  me,  and  all  regrets,  if  I  had  any,  were  swept  away, 
and  I  felt  I  had  made  no  mistake  in  adopting  a  sailor's  life. 

The  first  and  second  officers  were  on  board,  with  the 
carpenter,  who  came  out  to  assist  me  in  getting  my  chest 
on  board  and  stowed  away  in  the  foVsle,  where  for  the 
time  I  was  the  only  occupant,  the  carpenter  having  his 
room  aft. 


8  OCEAN    LIFE 

Having  got  my  mattress  into  one  of  the  upper  berths, 
I  got  out  my  blankets  and  sheets,  with  "  comforter " 
or  spread,  and  proceeded  to  make  my  bed  after  a  home 
pattern.  At  this  time  sheets  and  pillow-cases  were  unheard 
of  articles  in  a  ship's  foVsle,  but  of  this  fact  I  was  not 
aware,  so  made  my  bed  as  near  as  I  remembered  it  in 
my  little  chamber  at  home.  This  being  done,  I  went 
on  deck,  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  first  and  second 
officers,  by  whom  I  was  set  to  work  at  odd  jobs  about 
deck,  sweeping  up,  and  anything  I  was  told  to  do. 

As  the  crew  had  not  come  down  from  Boston,  there 
was  no  cooking  on  board,  but  the  officers  and  myself  got 
our  meals  at  a  place  called  "  Brown's  Tavern,"  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  wharf. 

A  week  passed,  and  I  had  become  quite  accustomed  to 
being  on  shipboard.  After  having  received  instructions 
from  the  second  mate  before  going  aloft,  I  had  won 
considerable  credit  by  sending  down  the  main  royal  yard, 
and  did  the  work  in  a  manner  that  brought  a  compliment 
from  him,  i.  e.  "  an  old  hand  could  not  have  done  it 
better." 

This  pleased  me  very  much,  and  I  began  to  consider 
myself  quite  a  sailor. 

But,  "  pride  goeth  before  a  fall." 

It  was  the  close  of  a  drear  December  day.  Snow, 
rain,  and  sleet  had  been  falling,  and  about  four  in  the 
afternoon  I  had  gone  below  in  the  fo'c'sle  to  get  ready 
to  go  up  to  the  tavern  for  supper,  when  I  heard  a  great 
commotion  on  the  deck  overhead.  The  companion  doors 
were  thrown  open,  and  down  rained  chests,  bags,  and 
hammocks,  wet  and  dirty,  followed  by  the  crew  who  had 
just  arrived  on  the  train  from  Boston. 

There  were  about  twenty  men,  of  all  nationalities, 
and  as  soon  as  they  landed  in  the  foVsle  they  began 


IN    THE    FORECASTLE  9 

pitching  the  bags  and  hammocks  into  the  berths,  all 
talking  and  swearing,  for  they  were  not  in  good  humor, 
being  about  as  wet  as  their  luggage. 

I  had  drawn  up,  and  was  standing  on  my  little  chest 
alongside  my  berth,  when,  without  any  ceremony  or 
asking  "  by  your  leave,"  an  old  grizzled  shellback  tossed 
into  my  clean  berth  a  wet,  dirty  bag  and  hammock. 

Although  I  had  stood,  half  in  awe,  watching  the  scene, 
not  venturing  a  word,  this  act  of  old  Tom's  was  too  much, 
and  laying  my  hand  upon  his  arm  I  remonstrated: 
"  Don't  do  that!  You'll  soil  my  sheets!  " 

Tom  gave  me  a  puzzled  look  for  a  moment,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  Who  in  thunder  are  you?  " 

I  hastened  to  assure  him  that  I  was  a  sailor,  one  of 
the  crew,  and  that  was  my  berth,  and  my  bed  was  made 
up.  With  a  queer  look  he  mounted  my  sea-chest  and 
glanced  into  my  berth.  Never  shall  I  forget  his  look  of 
wonder,  and  the  ineffable  scorn  conveyed  in  his  tone 
as  he  turned  around  to  his  chum,  and  exclaimed  with 
withering  sarcasm,  "  Well  I'm  blessed,  Joe  "  (only  he  did 
not  say  "  blessed  "),  "if  the  beggar  ain't  got  sheets!  " 

I  made  no  reply,  but  I  felt  that  in  his  eyes,  at  least, 
I  was  no  sailor,  and  when  they  had  gone  to  supper, 
shortly  after,  off  came  the  sheets  and  pillow-cases,  which 
were  stored  at  the  bottom  of  my  chest,  nevermore  to  do 
duty  as  bedding  on  that  ship. 

Two  days  after,  the  weather  having  cleared,  the  crew 
came  on  board,  also  the  pilot  and  captain,  and  with  a 
fine  westerly  breeze  sail  was  made  at  the  wharf,  the  fasts 
cast  off,  and  the  ship  headed  for  the  bar.  As  soon  as 
crossed,  the  pilot  was  discharged,  and  all  sail  made, 
topmast  stun'sail  booms  got  up  and  run  out,  stun'sails 
got  out  and  sent  up,  anchors  secured,  and  everything 
movable  about  decks  made  fast. 


10  OCEAN    LIFE 

All  was  bustle  and  excitement  attendant  upon  leaving 
port,  and  particularly  in  this  case,  as  the  "  Ariel "  was  a 
new  ship,  on  her  maiden  voyage,  and  many  a  glance  was 
cast  over  the  ship's  side  to  note  her  speed.  Meanwhile 
the  log  was  hove,  and  showing  better  than  ten  knot, 
a  general  feeling  of  satisfaction  was  felt  fore  and  aft. 
The  sea  was  comparatively  smooth,  and  everything  new 
to  me.  I  was  in  my  element,  long  looked  forward  to,  and 
entered  into  everything  with  a  will.  Where  I  did  not 
fully  understand  all  orders  I  went  with  the  crowd,  and 
took  note  of  what  was  going  on,  managing  to  get  along 
very  well. 

At  four  o'clock  the  crew  were  called  aft  and  the  watches 
chosen,  after  which  the  port,  or  mate's,  watch  went 
below  to  supper,  while  the  starboard,  or  second  mate's, 
cleared  up  decks.  They  put  everything  in  order  for  the 
night,  while  the  boys  swept  up. 

At  four  bells,  —  six  o'clock,  —  the  mate's  watch  again 
came  on  deck  to  relieve  the  starboard,  who  went  below 
for  supper,  remaining  until  eight  o'clock,  —  eight  bells,  — 
when  they  again  came  up,  relieving  the  port  watch, 
who  went  below  until  midnight. 

I  will  here  state  that  from  four  to  eight  o'clock  p.  M. 
is  divided  into  two  watches  of  two  hours  each,  and  this 
changes  the  watches  each  night;  so  that  the  port  watch 
has  eight  hours  below  one  night,  i.  e.  from  eight  to 
twelve  P.  M.  and  from  four  to  eight  A.  M.,  while  the  star- 
board has  eight  hours  on  deck,  having  only  four  hours 
below  to  sleep,  i.  e.  from  twelve  midnight  until  four 
o'clock  A.  M.  The  "  dog  "  watches,  as  they  are  called, 
serve  to  change  the  long  watches,  so  that  the  two  get 
their  eight  hours  below  every  other  night,  and  it  is  a 
rule  that  the  second  mate's  watch  always  has  the  eight 
hours  on  deck  the  first  night  at  sea. 


IN    THE    FORECASTLE  11 

I  had  been  chosen  in  the  second  mate's  watch,  Mr. 
Henry  Fabens's,  and  went  to  supper  at  six,  with  the 
rest.  It  consisted  of  hash,  salt  meat,  hard  ship's  biscuit, 
and  tea  sweetened  with  molasses.  After  supper  the  men 
filled  their  pipes,  smoked  and  "  yarned  "  until  eight  bells, 
when  they  again  went  on  deck,  myself  with  them,  to 
stand  my  first  watch  at  sea. 

The  wheel  was  relieved,  the  lookout  man  mounted  the 
steps  to  the  to'gallant  foVsle,  while  the  remainder  of 
the  watch  either  paced  the  deck  from  the  break  of  the 
foVsle  to  the  stern  of  the  long  boat,  or  picked  out  a  snug 
berth,  sheltered  from  the  wind,  to  spin  a  long  "  yarn  " 
to  while  away  the  four  hours  that  must  intervene  before 
they  could  turn  into  a  warm  berth. 

Old  Tom,  who  since  the  sheet  and  pillow-case  business 
had  hardly  taken  any  notice  of  me,  started  to  do  a  turn 
of  walking,  pacing  regularly  from  the  foVsle  to  amidships 
and  return. 


CHAPTER   II 

1845 

BOYS'    DUTIES   IN   THE    FORECASTLE. AT   NEW    YORK 

LOADING   FOR   LIVERPOOL 

ANXIOUS  to  ingratiate  myself  in  Tom's  good  graces, 
and  thinking  this  a  favorable  opportunity,  I  hauled 
alongside,  keeping  pace,  and  strove  to  engage  him  in 
conversation,  but  was  not  very  successful.  He  was  very 
quiet,  occasionally  replying  to  my  questions  in  gruff 
tones,  until  I  became  somewhat  discouraged,  and  lapsed 
into  silence. 

Presently  four  bells  (ten  o'clock)  were  struck  aft,  and 
repeated  on  the  bell  hung  at  the  break  of  the  to'gallant 
fo'c'sle.  The  wheel  was  relieved  and  lookouts  changed 
at  this  hour.  It  was  old  Tom's  lookout,  but  he  thought, 
probably,  that  it  would  be  much  more  comfortable  on 
the  main  deck  if  he  could  shirk  it,  and  send  me  up  to 
take  his  place.  The  officer  of  the  deck,  seeing  some  one 
up  there,  would  not  know  the  difference  unless  he  came 
forward  on  the  fo'c'sle,  and  as  it  looked  fine,  this  was 
not  likely. 

"  Boy,  have  you  had  a  lookout  yet?  "  he  asked,  sud- 
denly turning  to  me. 

"  No,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  you  get  up  on  that  fo'c'sle  deck,  and  keep  a 
good  lookout.  *  Do  you  hear?  " 

12 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE          13 

"  All  right/ '  I  answered,  glad  to  be  assigned  a  position, 
although  I  hardly  knew  what  was  required  of  me. 

I  mounted  the  steps  to  the  deck,  and  the  former 
lookout  descended,  after  asking  who  sent  me.  "  Tom/' 
I  replied. 

"  Oh,  he  did!  "  said  he,  and  made  no  other  remark. 

I  found  it  much  more  exposed  than  the  main  deck. 
The  night  was  dark.  The  topmast  stun'sail  having  been 
taken  in,  the  yards  were  braced  forward,  while  the  wind 
began  to  freshen  and  the  sea  to  rise.  To'gallant  sails 
were  handed,  and  while  the  ship  heeled  over  to  the 
increasing  wind,  the  salt  spray  began  to  fly  across  the 
foVsle  deck,  drenching  me,  and  as  I  had  no  oilskins  on 
I  was  soon  wet  through.  To  add  to  all  this,  I  began  to 
have  a  squeamish  feeling  at  my  stomach,  which  rapidly 
increased  until  I  lost  all  interest  in  any  lookout,  and 
stood  clinging  to  the  foVsle  capstan,  looking  aft,  towards 
the  cabin,  cold,  wet  and  miserable,  feeling  that,  after 
all,  I  may  have  made  a  mistake  in  deciding  to  become 
a  sailor.  As  I  thought  of  our  cozy  parlor  at  home, 
with  its  glowing  grate  of  anthracite,  in  front  of  which 
I  had  spent  so  many  happy  evenings  reading  my  favorite 
books,  or  sailing  imaginary  voyages,  and  contrasted  that 
picture  with  my  present  situation,  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  when  the  ship  arrived  at  New  York,  if  ever  she  did, 
like  the  prodigal  son  I  would  return  home,  if  I  had  to 
walk. 

Suddenly  I  was  startled  by  a  hoarse  cry  of  "  All 
hands  on  deck!  Reef  topsails!  "  In  a  few  moments  the 
watch  below  came  tumbling  up,  the  topsail  yards  were 
lowered  on  the  caps,  reef  tackles  hauled  out,  spilling- 
lines  and  buntlines  bowsed  taut,  the  men  laid  aloft  to 
take  in  a  double  reef.  These  were  the  days  of  the  big 
topsails,  the  double  yards  not  having  been  invented. 


14  OCEAN   LIFE 

All  this  was  new  to  me,  and  as  I  lay  over  the  capstan- 
head  I  listened  to  the  noise  made  by  the  flapping  of  the 
big  topsails,  mingled  with  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  crew 
as  they  hauled  out  the  gear,  while  from  out  of  the  dark- 
ness overhead,  after  they  had  laid  aloft,  the  stentorian 
voice  of  the  second  mate  roared  out  to  "  Light  over  to 
wind'ard,"  followed  by  "  Haul  out  to  leeward,"  terms 
which  at  that  time  were  so  much  Greek  to  me. 

After  lying  down  from  aloft,  the  topsails  were  again 
hoisted,  and  the  watch  sent  below.  It  had  now  got  to 
be  seven  bells  (half -past  eleven),  and  while  anxiously 
counting  the  moments  to  eight  bells,  when  our  watch 
would  go  below,  I  was  thoroughly  aroused  by  a  yell  from 
the  second  officer. 

"  Who  in  blazes  is  on  that  lookout?  Don't  you  see 
that  ship?  " 

This  was  followed  by  some  very  emphatic  language, 
and  rushing  forward,  he  jumped  upon  the  foVsle  deck, 
and  sprang  towards  me,  exclaiming,  "  Who's  this  on  the 
lookout?  " 

"  Me!  "  I  answered,  in  faint  tones. 

"  Well!  where  you  looking  out  to,  the  binnacle?  " 

He  peered  into  my  face,  and  with  an  oath  demanded 
what  I  was  doing  up  there,  and  who  sent  me. 

"  Tom,"  I  answered. 

"  Oh!  he  did!  "  said  he,  as  the  truth  dawned  upon 
him,  and  leaving  me,  he  descended  to  the  main  deck, 
and  in  a  moment  more  old  Tom  came  flying  up  on  the 
fo'c'sle,  assisted  by  the  second  mate  in  a  most  vigorous 
manner,  where  he  was  kept  on  the  lookout  for  two  hours 
in  the  first  officer's  watch  before  being  allowed  to  go 
below.  This  was  the  last  straw.  Old  Tom  never  forgave 
me. 

At  eight  bells  I  went  below  and  turned  in  as  I  was, 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE          15 

wet  clothes  and  all,  covered  up  well,  and  was  soon  warm 
and  steaming. 

It  did  not  seem  as  though  I  had  more  than  got  to  sleep, 
when  I  was  roused  by  three  knocks  on  the  scuttle,  and 
the  call  of  "  Starboard  watch  ahoy."  "  Turn  out!  " 
"Turnout!" 

In  a  moment  all  was  bustle,  with  the  watch  turning 
out  to  go  on  deck,  but  I  made  no  response.  Sick  and 
miserable,  I  lay  still,  trusting  I  should  be  overlooked, 
but  there  came  a  call  of  "  Come,  boy,  you  going  to  sleep 
all  the  way  to  New  York?  Turnout!" 

I  was  about  to  comply,  when  I  heard  another  voice,  — 
"  Oh,  let  the  cub  lay,  he's  no  use  on  deck  in  this  weather. 
He's  sick." 

I  said  nothing,  but  lay  still,  and  invoking  blessings  on 
the  head  of  the  last  speaker,  I  slept  on,  but  at  seven  bells, 
when  the  watch  were  called  to  breakfast,  I  was  ordered 
out,  without  ceremony,  and  told  to  go  to  the  galley  and 
hand  down  the  coffee  and  grub. 

In  those  days  it  was  the  custom  for  the  boys  to  do  all 
the  drudgery  in  the  ship's  fo'c'sle;  to  keep  the  bread 
barge  rilled  by  taking  it  aft  to  the  steward  when  empty; 
to  return  with  it  to  the  fo'c'sle  after  he  had  filled  it; 
bring  all  the  coffee  and  tea  as  well  as  food  from  the  galley 
at  meal  times  for  all  the  watch,  sweep  up  the  fo'c'sle 
after  meals,  and  in  hot  weather  wash  it  out  every  morning 
after  breakfast,  although  in  this  he  was  generally  assisted 
by  some  member  of  the  watch;  in  short,  he  was  subject 
to  the  call  of  any  one  while  off  his  watch  on  deck. 

This  may  seem  pretty  rough  on  the  boy,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  where  a  boy  did  his  work  willingly,  without 
grumbling,  the  men  were  always  ready  to  treat  him  well, 
teach  him  the  mysteries  of  knotting  and  splicing,  and 
everything  pertaining  to  the  work  on  shipboard,  doing 


16  OCEAN   LIFE 

all  in  their  power  to  instruct  and  make  a  sailor  ol 
him. 

Pulling  myself  together,  I  mounted  the  foVsle  ladder, 
which  was  almost  perpendicular,  and  stepped  from  the 
hatch,  or  scuttle,  out  upon  the  deck.  Since  I  had  gone 
below  at  midnight  the  gale  had  increased,  and  the  "  Ariel " 
was  now  hove  to,  under  a  close-reefed  main  topsail  and 
fore  topmast  staysail,  laying  over  at  an  angle  of  many 
degrees,  spray  flying  over  her  in  sheets,  decks  wet  and 
slippery,  the  wind  whistling  through  her  rigging  with 
a  wail  like  lost  spirits,  great  waves  chasing  each  other, 
and  looking  as  if  they  would  overwhelm  her,  while  over- 
head, patches  of  lead-colored  clouds  were  scudding  across 
the  sky. 

The  sight  was  a  grand  one,  and  I  stood  holding  on  to 
the  fife  rail  of  the  foremast,  lost  in  amazement,  until 
admonished  by  a  voice  from  below  that  if  I  did  not  hurry 
and  get  that  grub  down  I  would  hear  of  it  when  I  came 
below.  To  navigate  between  the  companionway  and 
the  galley  was  a  problem,  but  by  making  short  tacks 
and  holding  on,  with  the  help  of  one  of  the  deck  watch, 
I  managed  to  get  the  pots  of  coffee  and  the  "  kid  "  (a 
small  tub)  of  salt  beef  passed  down  safely,  and  was 
about  to  descend,  when  I  was  ordered  to  go  and  see  if 
the  cook  had  not  got  something  besides  "  salt  boss  " 
for  breakfast. 

Returning  to  the  cook,  he  handed  me  out  a  long,  broad, 
deep  pan,  filled  to  the  brim  with  a  compound  called 
scouse,  consisting  of  ship  bread  broken  up  and  soaked 
until  soft.  This,  with  salt  pork  fat  and  molasses  baked 
in  the  pan,  was  taken  off  the  stove  boiling  and  seething 
with  hot  grease. 

Taking  hold  at  each  end,  I  essayed  to  reach  the  com- 
panionway, which  I  finally  succeeded  in  doing,  and 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE         17 


bending  over,  and  holding  out  the  pan,  I  called 
"  Here,  somebody,  take  it,  will  you?  " 

Old  Tom  at  that  moment  was  directly  underneath, 
bending  over  the  "  kid,"  engaged  in  cutting  off,  with  a 
sheath-knife,  a  generous  slice  of  beef.  Without  looking 
up,  he  growled,  in  answer  to  my  call  to  take  it,  "  Oh, 
don't  be  in  a  hurry,  you  cub,  wait  till  somebody's  ready 
to  take  it." 

At  this  instant  the  ship  gave  a  heavy  lurch,  my  foot 
slipped,  the  hot  mess  ran  over  and  burnt  my  hand,  and  I 
let  go!  The  pan  turned  over,  and  with  a  crash  landed  on 
poor  Tom's  head,  the  scalding  compound  flying  to  every 
corner  of  the  foVsle.  I  was  horrified.  With  a  yell  like 
a  Comanche,  old  Tom  leaped  from  under,  but  the  mischief 
was  done.  From  all  parts  of  the  fo'c'sle  came  a  volley 
of  oaths  and  imprecations  that  scared  me.  The  urgent 
invitations  to  come  down  I  respectfully  but  firmly 
declined,  at  least  until  they  should  become  more  calm, 
and  started  to  argue  it  out  from  the  companionway. 
In  the  meantime  the  deck  watch,  having  been  drawn 
together  by  the  uproar  below,  were  convulsed  with 
laughter,  evidently  regarding  it  as  a  great  joke. 

It  being  now  near  eight  bells,  I  descended  the  steps, 
but  had  no  sooner  landed  on  the  deck  than  I  received  a 
tap  on  the  side  of  the  head,  which  would  have  knocked  me 
across  the  fo'c'sle,  had  I  not  been  held  up  by  a  tap  from 
old  Tom  on  the  other  side.  This  was  getting  too  exciting 
to  last,  however,  and  eight  bells  striking,  the  watch  went 
on  deck,  grumbling  at  having  been  deprived  of  their 
breakfast.  I  went  with  them,  a  discouraged  boy,  and 
although  I  was  still  sick,  I  was  mad,  for  I  felt  that  I  had 
been  "  licked  "  for  no  fault  of  mine.  My  determination 
to  return  home  the  first  chance  was  strengthened,  and 
as  the  men  gathered  under  the  lee  of  the  weather  bulwarks, 


18  OCEAN    LIFE 

I  hung  to  leeward  of  the  long-boat,  keeping  out  of  the  way 
as  much  as  possible. 

By  four  bells  (ten  o'clock)  the  gale  beginning  to  mod- 
erate, an  order  was  passed  to  loose  the  fore  topsail  and 
set  it  close-reefed.  Two  sailors  sprang  into  the  fore 
rigging  to  lay  aloft  and  execute  the  order,  while  the 
remainder  busied  themselves  in  throwing  down  the  gear 
and  making  ready  to  sheet  home  when  loosed. 

Although  I  had  heard  the  order  given  by  the  second 
mate,  I  made  no  response,  and  as  the  officer  went  forward 
I  worked  my  way  aft  to  leeward  until  I  came  to  the 
after,  or  booby,  hatch,  the  slide  or  scuttle  of  which  was 
open,  and  as  I  looked  down  it  seemed  warm  and  pleasant 
below  in  the  between-decks.  Glancing  hastily  around, 
and  noting  I  was  not  perceived,  all  of  the  watch  with 
Mr.  Fabens  being  busy  forward,  I  slipped  over,  and 
down  the  steps  to  the  between-decks,  working  my  way 
forward  in  the  semi-darkness,  until  I  came  to  the  bulk- 
head of  the  foVsle,  on  the  other  side  of  which  were  the 
crew's  quarters.  Through  this  bulkhead  were  bored 
auger-holes  in  diamond  shape,  for  purposes  of  ventilation, 
thus  any  conversation  carried  on  either  side  of  the  bulk- 
head could  be  plainly  heard  on  the  other. 

Previous  to  leaving  port,  all  the  spare  rigging,  coils 
of  rope,  sails,  hawsers,  and  one  or  two  bales  of  oakum 
had  been  piled  up  against  this  bulkhead,  and  secured. 
Crawling  in  over  this  mass,  I  stowed  myself  away  in  the 
coil  of  a  big  hawser  that  was  laid  down  over  some  sails, 
and  taking  a  bunch  of  oakum  for  a  pillow,  went  soundly 
to  sleep. 

The  between-decks  were  dark,  all  the  hatches  being  on 
except  the  after  one.  The  slide  of  that  being  thrown 
back,  admitted  light  enough  for  any  one  to  see  after 
they  grew  accustomed  to  it,  but  coming  suddenly  from 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE          19 

the  upper  deck,  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  objects  for 
a  time. 

When  I  awoke  it  was  very  dark,  save  that  the  rays 
from  the  fo'c'sle  lamp  streamed  through  the  holes  in  the 
bulkhead,  and  served  to  render  the  darkness  a  little  less 
dense.  As  I  lay,  half  awake,  the  sound  of  voices  in 
conversation  reached  my  ears.  For  a  few  moments  I 
could  not  remember  where  I  was,  but  gradually  it  all 
came  to  me,  and  listening  intently,  I  gathered  the  con- 
versation concerned  myself,  not  as  a  creature  of  flesh  and 
blood,  but  a  boy  who  had  lived  and  had  passed  away, 
been  drowned,  lost  overboard.  I  heard  a  voice  that  I 
recognized  as  Joe's,  saying: 

"  When  did  you  last  see  him?  " 

"  Oh,  just  as  I  was  going  aloft.  He  was  down  to  lee- 
ward, hanging  over  the  swinging  boom.  He  must  have 
gone  over  with  that  heavy  lurch,  when  we  were  all  busy 
with  the  fore  topsail,  and  no  one  saw  him  go." 

"  Queer  he  didn't  holler,"  said  Bill.  "  I'm  almighty 
sorry,  for  he  was  a  likely  lad  and  smart,  would  have 
made  a  good  sailor.  Did  you  see  him  sending  down 
that  r'y'l  yard,  at  the  dock?  " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  the  next  day  was  cold 
enough  to  freeze  one,  and  that  bloody  second  mate  had 
that  kid  aloft  slushing  down,  and  I  said  he  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  send  that  boy  aloft  to  slush  down  in  such 
weather." 

"  Well,"  I  heard  old  Tom  chime  in,  "  I'm  awful  sorry 
I  hit  him,  but  the  cub  scalt  every  spear  of  hair  out  of  my 
head." 

"  Ah,  well,"  sighed  Joe,  "  he's  gone,  and  perhaps  it's 
all  right.  He'd  been  like  a  young  bear,  all  his  troubles 
to  come." 

With  this  the  subject  seemed  to  be  dismissed,  and  from 


20  OCEAN   LIFE 

the  sounds  I  judged  the  starboard  watch  had  gone  to 
sleep,  so  curling  myself  up  in  my  hawser,  I  soon  followed 
their  example. 

When  I  again  awoke  I  could  hear  the  deck  watch 
washing  down.  The  ship  seemed  to  be  very  quiet,  lying 
over  at  a  gentle  angle.  As  I  became  fully  awake  I  sud- 
denly realized  that  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life,  and  oh! 
so  hungry!  The  despised  food  of  the  foVsle,  how  I 
would  have  welcomed  it!  I  would  have  gone  on  deck 
had  I  not  been  afraid  of  a  most  unmerciful  trouncing  if 
I  showed  myself,  but  something  must  be  done,  for  I 
seemed  to  be  literally  starving.  All  at  once  I  remem- 
bered there  were  some  four  or  five  hundred  barrels  of 
apples  in  the  lower  hold,  that  were  being  shipped  around 
to  New  York  as  freight.  Why  could  I  not  get  some  of 
those  apples?  To  think  was  to  act.  Climbing  down  into 
the  hold,  the  hatches  being  off  between-decks,  and  knock- 
ing the  head  out  of  a  barrel,  I  filled  my  pockets  and  shirt 
all  around,  climbed  out  of  the  hold  and  into  my  hawser, 
and  ate  apples.  Oh,  how  good  they  tasted! 

After  I  had  eaten  my  fill,  it  being  yet  early,  I  again 
went  to  sleep.  The  storm  had  been  succeeded  by  fine 
weather,  and  the  ship,  under  all  canvas,  was  sailing 
steadily  towards  her  destination. 

The  starboard  watch  were  on  deck.  Mr.  Fabens,  desiring 
to  strap  a  block,  called  old  Tom,  and  gave  him  a  measure, 
telling  him  to  go  below  and  cut  off  a  piece  of  rope,  as 
per  same,  which  he  would  find  lying  against  the  foVsle 
bulkhead.  I  had  awakened,  and  was  thinking  what  I 
should  do,  when  I  was  startled  by  footsteps  slowly 
advancing  towards  my  retreat.  I  listened  with  bated 
breath.  When  the  footsteps  had  about  reached  me  they 
stopped,  and  I  heard  a  kind  of  sawing  noise.  Curiosity 
impelled  me  to  peep  out,  and  see  who  it  was.  Lifting  my 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE          21 

length  out  of  the  hawser,  I  bent  over,  just  as  old  Tom 
finished  cutting  off  his  piece  of  rope,  and  as  he  arose  our 
eyes  met.  I,  being  on  the  sails  and  hawser,  came  some- 
what above  him,  and  as  I,  being  a  little  cold,  had  wrapped 
around  me  a  piece  of  canvas,  I  expect  my  appearance 
was  a  bit  startling. 

With  whitened  face  and  bulging  eyes  he  gazed  at  me 
a  moment,  terror  in  every  feature,  then  dropping  rope 
and  knife,  and  emitting  a  series  of  blood-curdling  yells 
that  rang  through  the  ship,  he  dashed  for  the  booby  hatch, 
and  disappeared  on  deck.  Every  one  was  aroused,  and 
I  could  hear  the  second  mate  ask,  "  What's  broke  loose 
with  you?  Where's  that  block  strap?  "  but  for  answer 
all  old  Tom  could  ejaculate  was,  "  My  God,  I've  seen  him! 
I've  seen  him!  " 

"  Seen  who?  "  yelled  Mr.  Fabens,  shaking  him. 

"  Oh!  his  ghost!  his  ghost!  " 

"  Whose  ghost?  What's  the  matter  with  you  any 
way?  " 

"  Oh!  that  boy's  ghost,  Mr.  Fabens,"  Tom  replied. 

It  was  plain  old  Tom  was  nearly  frightened  out  of  his 
wits. 

"  Mr.  Fabens,"  said  Captain  King,  "  get  a  lantern, 
take  that  man  below,  and  see  what  scared  him  so." 

Lighting  a  lantern,  Mr.  Fabens  descended  the  ladder, 
with  half  the  crew  at  his  back,  Tom  bringing  up  the  rear. 
As  they  came  forward  the  second  mate  called  out, 
"  Where's  your  ghost?  I  don't  see  any  ghost.  Where 
did  you  see  him?  " 

"  Over  that  hawser,"  said  Tom,  pointing  in  my  direc- 
tion. 

Up  to  now  I  had  lain  still,  but  feeling  that  I  was  dis- 
covered, I  rose  up  to  step  out  of  the  coil.  My  appearance 
was  greeted  with,  "  There  he  is!  There  he  is!  "  from 


22  OCEAN   LIFE 

Tom,  who  with  a  yell  again  broke  for  the  hatch  ladder, 
followed  by  half  the  men. 

Mr.  Fabens  came  up,  put  his  lantern  in  my  face,  and 
with  an  exclamation,  reached  over,  and  taking  me  by 
the  collar,  lifted  me  out  and  marched  me  up  on  deck, 
where  I  was  at  once  surrounded  by  officers  and  crew, 
the  latter  gazing  at  me  as  if  doubtful  whether  I  might 
not  be  a  spook. 

Old  Tom,  suddenly  awakened  to  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  fooled,  and  had  made  a  donkey  of  himself,  started 
towards  me,  as  if  about  to  administer  a  cuff,  when  Mr. 
Fabens,  shoving  him  back,  exclaimed,  "  You  dare  lay 
a  hand  on  that  boy  and  I'll  knock  your  head  off !  " 

Captain  King,  stepping  forward,  now  addressed  me 
as  follows:  "  Well,  boy,  where  have  you  been,  during 
the  past  forty-eight  hours?  " 

"  Between  decks,  sir,"  I  sheepishly  answered. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  between  decks  all  this 
time?  " 

"  Sleeping,  sir,"  I  answered. 

"  What!  sleeping  two  days  and  nights?  A  mighty 
fine  booby  you'd  make." 

(A  booby  is  a  bird  that  as  soon  as  he  alights  on  a 
vessel  drops  sound  asleep,  instantly.) 

"  Not  all  the  time,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Had  anything  to  eat?      What  did  you  live  on?  " 

"  Apples,"  I  ventured. 

"  Apples,  where  did  you  get  apples?  " 
»  "  Out  of  the  hold,  sir.  I  got  the  head  out  of  a  barrel." 

lf  Oh,  you  did!  Do  you  know  you've  been  broaching 
cargo?  "  —  and  then,  evidently  thinking  the  farce  had 
gone  far  enough,  as  all  hands  were  on  the  broad  grin, 
the  Captain  said,  sternly:  — 

"  Now  go  for'ard,  boy!    and  if  you  cut  up  any  more 


DUTIES    IN    THE    FORECASTLE          23 

capers  like  that  you'll  get  a  rope  Vending  you'll  remember 
all  your  life,"  and  turning  to  Mr.  Fabens,  he  said,  "  Keep 
that  boy  up  in  his  day  watch  below  for  a  week,  and  give 
him  plenty  of  work." 

This  ended  his  lecture,  and  I  was  glad  it  was  over, 
and  that  I  had  escaped  so  easily.  Going  forward  with 
the  men,  I  was  set  to  work,  and,  what  pleased  me,  I  could 
see  they  bore  me  no  ill  feeling,  not  even  Tom,  although 
in  his  case  he  might  have  been  excused  even  had  he  done 
so  a  little.  They  all  seemed  to  show  a  kinder  tone  towards 
me;  there  appearing  to  be  a  kind  of  satisfaction  that  I 
was  not  drowned  after  all. 

Being  now  all  over  my  seasickness,  and  feeling  strong 
and  hearty,  I  entered  upon  my  work  with  a  vim,  and 
soon  won  the  good  opinion  of  all  by  my  willingness. 

Nothing  occurred  of  note  until  we  neared  the  port  of 
New  York.  On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  after  leav- 
ing Newburyport,  we  took  a  pilot  on  board,  and  sailing 
in  past  Sandy  Hook,  through  the  Narrows  past  Staten 
Island,  we  came  to  anchor  off  the  Battery.  Shortly 
after,  a  tug  came  alongside,  taking  us  to  the  dock,  where 
the  ship  was  made  securely  fast,  after  which  the  crew  went 
on  shore  to  the  sailors'  boarding-houses,  their  time  being 
up,  they  only  having  signed  articles  for  the  run  from 
Newburyport  to  New  York. 

From  one  home  port  to  another  to  load,  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  ship  a  crew  by  the  run,  to  pay  them  a  lump 
sum,  and  not  monthly  wages,  while  all  the  work  expected 
of  them  was  to  look  after  the  safety  of  the  ship,  handle 
sails,  steer,  keep  lookouts,  and  keep  ship  clean  under  the 
direction  of  the  officers,  and  as  they  received  their  pay 
in  advance,  as  soon  as  the  ship  reached  her  port  and 
was  made  fast  to  the  dock,  they  left. 

This  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  old  Tom  and  many 


24  OCEAN    LIFE 

others,  although  several  reshipped  with  us  when  we  were 
ready  for  sea;  but  of  this  later. 

All  now  remaining  on  board  were  the  two  officers,  — 
Captain  King  living  at  his  hotel  on  shore,  —  the  carpenter, 
ship-keeper  and  myself,  but  in  a  few  days  our  number 
was  augmented  by  one,  the  new  boy,  from  Boston,  who 
had  been  brought  on  by  his  mother  to  join  the  ship. 

"  Abel  "  was  rather  older  than  myself,  but  not  so 
stout,  although  a  good,  sturdy  boy.  He  was  received  and 
welcomed  by  the  carpenter  and  myself,  who,  having 
made  a  voyage,  considered  ourselves  old  sailors,  and 
assumed  a  superior  tone  towards  him,  a  green  hand,  who 
had  not  passed  through  the  dangers  and  perils  of  the 
sea  as  we  had,  and  what  "  yarns  "  we  spun  that  boy, 
seated  in  the  foVsle  on  our  chests!  His  hair  would  almost 
rise,  and  at  times  he  seriously  thought  of  returning  to 
Boston.  I  now  had  no  thought  of  going  back.  There 
was  very  little  for  us  to  do  while  in  port,  the  days  were 
so  short.  We  went  up  near  the  head  of  the  wharf  and 
got  our  meals,  seldom  going  any  distance  from  the  ship. 
Meanwhile  the  cargo,  consisting  of  flour  in  barrels,  was 
rapidly  being  taken  on  board. 


CHAPTER   III 
1845  -  1846 

THE  PASSAGE  TO  LIVERPOOL.  —  JACK  AFLOAT  AND  ASHORE 

IN  due  course  the  "  Ariel "  completed  her  lading.  A  new 
crew  was  shipped,  this  time  for  the  long  voyage,  fifteen 
months  being  the  limit  of  time  as  written  in  the  articles, 
and  the  last  of  December,  1845,  the  year  of  the  great 
famine  in  Ireland,  we  sailed  for  Liverpool,  England. 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  wild  and  stormy. 
Gale  succeeded  gale,  with  furious  squalls  of  snow  and 
hail,  but  being  mostly  from  the  western  quarter,  gave  us 
a  fair  wind,  before  which  the  good  ship  scudded  under 
close-reefed  topsails  and  reefed  foresail  right  royally,  and 
although  a  very  heavy  sea  was  experienced,  no  damage 
was  sustained;  the  " Ariel"  proving  herself  a  splendid 
sea  boat. 

During  the  passage  I  never  missed  my  watch  on  deck 
in  all  weathers.  Abel,  however,  was  not  so  fortunate, 
being  confined  to  his  berth  the  entire  passage,  and  not 
until  we  were  in  St.  George's  Channel  did  he  make  his 
appearance  on  deck.  The  officers,  being  occupied  in 
looking  after  the  safety  of  the  ship,  gave  very  little 
attention  to  him,  thinking  no  doubt,  sick  as  he  was,  he 
was  better  below  than  on  deck,  in  such  weather  as  we 
were  having. 

Arriving  in  the  chops  of  the  Channel,  we  passed  a 

25 


26  OCEAN   LIFE 

number  of  vessels,  many  of  them  showing  the  effects  of 
the  hard  winter  passage  across. 

One,  the  "  Concordia  "  of  the  line  of  New  York  Packet 
ships,  that  sailed  before  we  did,  had  lost  some  of  her  spars, 
the  cargo  (grain)  had  shifted,  and  she  was  listed  to  port 
very  badly. 

The  following  morning  the  ship  was  close  in  under 
Holyhead,  Wales.  It  opened  bright  and  sunny,  though 
cool.  The  sea  was  smooth.  The  great  headland,  standing 
out  in  bold  relief,  with  its  quaint  old  windmills,  and 
dotted  with  numerous  dwellings,  formed  a  beautiful 
picture,  while  the  many  crafts  of  all  descriptions  spread 
out  in  every  direction,  completed  a  panorama  of  wondrous 
beauty,  especially  so  to  us  boys,  who  looked  upon  it  for 
the  first  time. 

Abel  made  his  appearance  on  deck  looking  pale,  but 
under  the  invigorating  air  and  surroundings  rapidly 
pulled  himself  together,  and  at  once  entered  upon  his 
duties.  That  morning  ended  his  seasickness  for  good. 

One  amusing  thing  in  connection  with  Abel's  sickness 
occurred  during  the  passage  over.  As  a  general  thing 
seasickness  meets  with  very  little  sympathy  in  a  ship's 
foVsle.  The  members  of  the  crew  do  not  look  with 
pitying  eye  on  the  victim  of  mat  de  mer.  Indeed  they 
rather  regard  him  as  one  inclined  to  shirk  his  work,  but 
in  Abel's  case  they  were  very  easy  with  him,  and  did 
not  encourage  him  to  get  up  and  go  on  deck.  This  seemed 
strange,  as  in  those  days  Jack  was  not  inclined  to  be 
lenient  with  a  green  boy,  or  show  him  any  favors,  but 
there  was  a  reason  for  all  this  apparent  kindness.  Abel 
was  finely  fitted  out  with  plenty  of  warm  clothing,  monkey 
jacket,  oilskin  suits,  several  pairs  of  sea  boots,  sou' westers, 
warm  neck  comforters,  etc.,  etc. 

Among  the  crew  were  several  old  packet  sailors,  a 


THE    PASSAGE    TO    LIVERPOOL          27 

class  who,  while  good  enough  seamen,  are  not  over- 
burdened with  warm,  comfortable  clothing,  the  attractions 
of  New  York  and  Liverpool  taking  all  their  wages,  and 
warm  clothing  being  a  secondary  consideration  with  them 
until  they  get  to  sea  and  find  themselves  on  a  topsail  yard, 
face  to  face  with  a  wild  howling  nor 'wester,  freezing  them 
to  the  marrow,  with  squalls  of  snow  or  hail  beating  upon 
them,  and  then  they  would  bemoan  the  fact  that  they 
had  not  taken  their  hard-earned  money,  and  bought 
what  would  have  benefited  them  in  times  like  these, 
instead  of  throwing  all  away  in  dissipation;  but  their 
regrets  generally  came  too  late  and  they  rarely  gained 
wisdom  by  experience. 

To  these  sailors  Abel's  outfit  was  a  God-send,  and  they 
did  not  scruple  to  help  themselves,  or  to  borrow  anything 
he  had  that  they  could  use  and  wear;  arguing  that  as 
he  could  not  wear  them,  and  they  were  doing  his  work, 
the  least  he  could  do  was  to  let  them  wear  his  clothes. 
His  mother  never  would  have  recognized  a  large  part 
of  his  outfit  by  the  time  the  ship  arrived  in  Liver- 
pool. 

Taking  a  pilot  on  board  and  entering  the  Irish  Sea, 
we  reached  the  lightship  that  night,  and  in  beating  up 
to  it  with  a  strong  wind  we  were  kept  at  quarters,  making 
short  tacks. 

The  boys,  ordinary  seamen  and  carpenter  were  stationed 
at  the  braces  of  the  after  yards  (the  yards  on  the  mizzen- 
mast)  to  brace  round  at  the  command  of  "  Mainsail 
haul!  "  the  carpenter  throwing  off  the  braces,  while  the 
boys  swung  round  the  yards. 

The  night  was  dark,  and  when  nearly  up  to  the  lightship, 
Abel  took  a  notion  that  he  could  assist  the  carpenter, 
and,  unperceived,  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  deck. 
On  the  order  being  given  to  brace  round  the  after  yards, 


28  OCEAN    LIFE 

he  threw  off  the  belaying-pin,  not  the  braces,  but  the  main 
topsail  halliards,  and  down  thundered  the  topsail  yard 
upon  the  cap. 

"  Who's  let  go  those  topsail  halliards?  "  shouted  the 
pilot,  and  the  captain  and  officers  used  language  that 
would  not  appear  well  in  print.  Abel  was  scared  out  of 
his  wits,  and  received  a  most  unmerciful  cuffing,  while 
all  hands  tailed  on  to  the  topsail  halliards,  and  the  yard 
was  again  mastheaded. 

In  the  morning  we  entered  the  Mersey,  passing  the 
Rock  Light,  and  at  high  water  docked  the  ship  in  the 
"  Waterloo,"  one  of  the  numerous  docks  in  the  great 
port  of  Liverpool. 

Stevedores  came  on  board,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  the  discharge  of  our  cargo. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  the  rules  and  regulations 
of  the  Liverpool  docks  were  very  different  from  what 
they  are  at  the  present  day.  Then  no  fires  or  lights  were 
allowed  on  board.  On  shore,  near  the  docks,  were  a  great 
number  of  boarding-houses,  which  catered  to  the  ships' 
trade.  Here  the  crews  obtained  their  meals,  and  morning, 
noon  and  night  might  have  been  seen  the  crews  of  all 
the  different  ships  in  port,  going  and  returning  to  their 
breakfasts,  dinners  and  suppers. 

The  days  being  very  short  in  winter,  the  men  got  their 
breakfast  by  gaslight,  returning  to  their  ship  by  nine 
o'clock,  and  knocking  off  work  by  four,  or  perhaps  earlier, 
in  the  afternoon,  after  which  the  decks  were  cleaned  up, 
and  Jack  went  to  supper,  being  a  free  man  until  the  next 
morning. 

As  there  was  no  light  on  board,  they  generally  spent  the 
evenings  in  the  numerous  singing-houses  or  dance-halls 
that  lined  the  streets  adjoining  the  docks,  and  here  Jack 
found  congenial  company,  both  male  and  female,  who,  as 


THE    PASSAGE    TO    LIVERPOOL         29 

long  as  he  had  a  shilling,  were  ready  to  share  his  pot  of 
beer,  "  half  and  half/'  or  something  stronger. 

There,  in  these  "  free  and  easys,"  he  smoked  his  pipe, 
listening  to  the  continuous  songs,  and  the  music  and 
performance  going  on,  until  about  the  hour  of  midnight. 
When  they  closed  their  doors  he  wended  his  way  on 
board  to  turn  into  his  berth  in  the  darkness. 

The  mates  and  petty  officers  also  had  their  separate 
places  of  evening  resort.  The  habitues  of  Playhouse 
Square,  the  mate's  and  second  mate's  quarters,  would 
have  no  more  thought  of  lowering  themselves  by 
visiting  "  Rossbottom's  "  on  Waterloo  Road,  than  Bea- 
con Street,  Boston,  would  assimilate  with  the  North 
End. 

The  captain,  of  course,  lived  at  his  hotel,  and  came 
and  went  at  his  own  sweet  will.  All  these  boarding- 
houses  set  a  good  table,  and  Jack  lived  well,  although 
the  table  in  the  officers'  quarters  was  superior  in  the 
quality  and  variety  of  the  food  served.  The  boys,  with 
the  carpenter,  took  their  meals  at  the  officers'  boarding- 
house,  but  we  did  not  see  them,  having  a  room  to  our- 
selves. 

We  had  been  but  a  few  days  in  dock,  when  Captain 
King  came  on  board  one  morning,  and  informed  me  that 
my  uncle  (Mr.  Wm.  Courtis),  who  lived  in  Manchester 
with  his  family  and  was  engaged  in  business  there,  had 
written  him  asking  permission  for  me  to  visit  them  while 
the  ship  remained  in  port.  He  added  that  I  could  go  if 
I  wished.  Replying  that  I  should  be  pleased  to  do  so, 
I  was  exempted  from  further  work,  and  getting  into 
presentable  shape  by  putting  on  my  best  clothes,  I  went 
to  the  station  the  following  morning  and  took  the  express 
to  Manchester,  arriving  about  10.30  A.  M. 

Meeting  my  uncle  at  the  station,  he  called  a  eab  and 


30  OCEAN   LIFE 

we  drove  to  his  house,  where  I  received  a  warm  welcome 
from  my  aunt  and  two  cousins. 

Three  weeks  in  Manchester,  visiting,  with  my  uncle 
and  his  family,  all  places  of  interest,  made  my  stay  most 
thoroughly  enjoyable.  On  my  return  I  was  accompanied 
by  him,  as  he  had  business  in  Liverpool.  He  improved 
the  opportunity  to  visit  the  ship  and  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Captain  King.  After  his  departure  I  resumed 
my  duties  and  again  fell  into  the  routine  of  ship's  boy. 

As  it  would  be  a  week  yet  before  the  "  Ariel "  would  be 
ready  for  sea,  whenever  we  could  get  away  from  the  ship, 
I  improved  the  time,  with  Abel,  strolling  about,  and 
seeing  all  we  could  of  the  city. 

Now  came  the  day  of  sailing  or  departure  from  the 
docks,  the  ship  being  bound  for  Canton,  China,  in  ballast, 
to  load  teas  for  the  port  of  New  York. 

All  being  in  readiness  for  sea,  stores  on  board,  and  two 
men  shipped  to  take  the  places  of  two  deserters,  about 
the  middle  of  March  the  crew  warped  the  ship  through 
the  docks  into  the  basin,  where  she  lay  waiting  for  the 
full  tide  and  the  tugboat,  to  proceed  to  sea. 

The  gates  being  opened,  the  tugboat  made  fast,  with 
three  ringing  cheers  responded  to  by  friends  of  the  crew 
who  had  assembled  to  see  them  off,  the  "  Ariel "  passed 
through  the  pier  heads  into  the  River  Mersey,  and  was 
again  outward  bound. 

Down  the  river,  past  the  shipping  at  anchor,  away 
past  the  Rock  Light  at  the  entrance  of  the  river,  into  the 
Irish  Sea,  past  Point  Linas  until  Holyhead  was  reached, 
thus  insuring  a  good  offing;  when  sail  was  made,  the 
tugboat  hawsers  were  cast  off,  good-bys  exchanged, 
and  the  tow  boat  took  her  departure  to  look  up  another 
vessel  to  take  into  port. 

With  a  fair  wind  and  rattling  breeze,  a  fine  run  was 


THE   PASSAGE    TO    LIVERPOOL         31 

made  down  channel,  and  passing  Tusker  Light,  old 
Kinsale  and  Cape  Clear,  we  were  soon  again  on  the  broad 
Atlantic,  bound  south  for  the  region  of  the  trade  winds 
and  a  warm  climate. 


CHAPTER   IV 
1846 

CROSSING  THE  LINE.  —  FERNANDO  NOROHNA.  —  THE 
MALAYS 

FAVORED  with  strong  northerly  gales,  the  "  Ariel "  swept 
past  Madeira  under  reefed  topsails,  and  entered  the  belt 
of  northeast  trade  winds.  The  weather  was  now  delight- 
ful, continuous  fresh  breezes,  gradually  lessening  in  force 
as  we  approached  their  southern  limit.  Passing  the  group 
of  Azores  Islands,  with  the  Peak  of  Pico,  on  the  island  of 
that  name,  7,000  feet  in  height,  and  the  Canaries,  with 
Teneriffe  towering  above  the  clouds,  we  continued  on 
until  we  lost  them  in  latitude  5°  north.  The  region  of 
northeast  trade  winds  lies  between  the  parallels  of  30° 
north  and  the  equator,  although  their  northern  and 
southern  limits  vary  with  the  seasons;  ships  sometimes 
carrying  strong  trades  within  three  or  four  degrees  of  the 
equator,  and  again  losing  them  as  high  as  10°  north. 
Through  these  trades  is  most  delightful  sailing;  steady, 
fine,  fresh  breezes,  clear  skies,  bright  and  sunny;  warm, 
but  not  too  much  so,  soft  patches  of  light  fleecy  clouds 
hanging  around  the  horizon,  called  trade  clouds,  water 
a  glorious  deep  blue,  alive  with  shoals  of  flying-fish, 
skipjacks,  bonitas  and  albacore,  the  former  rising  in 
immense  shoals  close  to  the  ship,  and  with  a  whirr  like 
a  covey  of  partridges  away  they  go  skimming  to  wind'ard, 


CROSSING    THE    LINE  33 

their  wings  glinting  and  glistening  in  the  bright  sunlight 
for  a  thousand  yards  or  so,  when  they  drop  to  wet  their 
wings,  only  to  reappear  in  a  moment.  They  formed 
one  of  the  prettiest  pictures,  that  one  never  wearied  in 
watching. 

The  flying-fish  affords  fine  eating,  having  a  flavor 
similar  to  a  fresh  sardine,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  pan  fish 
that  swims. 

We  had  now  reached  the  belt  of  light,  variable  winds, 
calms  and  squalls,  with  thunder,  lightning,  and  heavy 
rains,  the  last  enabling  us  to  fill  our  empty  water  casks. 
Fortunately  we  were  not  long  in  crossing  this  belt,  and. 
striking  the  southeast  trades  in  latitude  1°  north,  we 
crossed  the  equator  and  entered  the  South  Atlantic. 
The  visit  of  Neptune  and  his  wife  on  board  was  for  some 
reason  deferred,  much  to  the  relief  of  us  boys  and  the 
carpenter,  who  was  also  on  his  first  voyage. 

In  the  old  days  it  was  customary  on  ships,  more  par- 
ticularly those  flying  the  British  flag,  to  observe  the 
crossing  of  the  line  or  equator  for  the  first  time  by  any 
one  on  board,  by  making  it  a  special  occasion,  and  cele- 
brating it  as  a  gala  day.  Extra  grog  was  served  out  to 
the  crew,  etc.  All  this  was  in  honor  of  King  Neptune, 
who  was  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  ship,  in  company  with  his 
wife  Amphitrite,  to  see  if  there  were  any  on  board,  either 
passengers  or  crew,  who  were  invading  his  special  domain 
without  having  been  properly  initiated.  The  green  hands 
had  the  fact  that  they  were  entering  the  domain  of  these 
mythical  personage  impressed  upon  them  as  a  reality, 
and  for  weeks  their  minds  were  filled  with  the  terrors  of 
the  ordeal  they  would  have  to  pass  through. 

The  cabin  passengers  who  were  liable  could  purchase 
immunity  by  money  or  a  few  bottles  of  grog,  but  woe 
betide  the  hapless  boy,  or  green  hand,  who  was  making 


34  OCEAN    LIFE 

his  first  trip  across  the  equator,  old  Neptune's  home 
and  undisputable  possession. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  the  ship  was  to  cross  the 
line,  these  unfortunate  victims  were  blindfolded  and  shut 
up  until  wanted,  but  were  placed  where  they  could  hear 
all  that  was  going  on.  Preparations  were  then  begun 
for  the  reception  of  His  Majesty  and  His  Better  Half. 
Two  old  grizzled  shellbacks  were  selected  from  among 
the  crew  to  act  the  parts  of  Neptune  and  wife.  They 
were  painted  and  decked  out  in  the  most  fantastic  garb, 
by  the  crew.  They  had  long,  flowing  hair  and  whiskers 
of  rope-yarns  and  oakum,  resembling  seaweed,  and  a 
crown  made  from  Manila  strands  and  shells,  scraps  of 
steel,  or  iron.  Then  with  the  ship's  big  trumpet,  and 
the  five-pronged  grains  used  for  catching  dolphins  or 
skipjacks,  as  his  trident,  his  outfit  was  complete.  His 
spouse  was  similarly  rigged  out.  Taking  their  stations 
over  the  bows  in  the  head,  one  of  the  crew  would  go  out 
to  the  end  of  the  flying  jib  boom  with  the  trumpet  and 
hail  the  ship,  asking  her  name  and  where  from,  ending  by 
stating  that  His  Majesty  King  Neptune  was  about  to 
pay  the  ship  a  visit,  and  all  hands  would  prepare  to  receive 
both  him  and  his  queen  Amphitrite. 

A  half-hogshead  of  water  would  have  been  prepared, 
with  a  platform  alongside,  on  which  was  a  chair  for 
seating  the  candidate  for  maritime  honors.  A  slush 
bucket  filled  with  an  odorous  mixture  of  slush  and  tar, 
using  an  old  paint  brush  for  a  shaving  brush,  with  a  piece 
of  notched  iron  hoop  for  a  razor,  constituted  the  shaving 
outfit. 

All  being  in  readiness,  the  candidate,  still  blindfolded, 
was  led  forward  and  seated  in  the  chair.  Neptune  and 
Amphitrite  would  then  appear,  dripping  with  sea  water, 
which  had  been  previously  poured  over  them  to  give 


CROSSING    THE    LINE  35 

them  the  appearance  of  just  having  emerged  from  old 
ocean.  Neptune  then  propounded  to  the  intruders  a 
series  of  the  most  ridiculous  questions,  ending  by  ordering 
him  to  be  shaved  and  initiated  as  one  of  his  children  in 
due  form;  the  candidate  continuing  blindfolded  until 
after  his  involuntary  bath. 

Then  followed  the  lathering  and  shaving,  which  was 
of  a  pretty  rough  order,  but  if  the  poor  fellow  opened 
his  mouth  to  utter  a  protest,  it  was  instantly  filled  with 
a  brushful  of  the  unsavory  lather,  amid  the  delight  and 
jeers  of  his  tormentors.  The  shaving  completed,  while 
answering  questions  his  chair  would  be  jerked  away,  and 
he  would  fall,  floundering,  into  the  hogshead  of  water, 
after  which  he  was  allowed  to  scramble  out,  would  be 
given  a  stiff  glass  of  grog  to  drink  Neptune's  health,  be 
permitted  to  make  himself  presentable  and  go  his  way  or 
take  part  in  the  initiation  of  the  next  victim.  The  custom 
in  these  days  even  on  foreign  ships  has  become  obsolete. 

Continuing  south,  close-hauled,  we  passed  in  plain 
sight  of  Fernando  Norohna,  a  small,  high  island  off  the 
Brazil  coast.  That  government  uses  it  as  a  penal  settle- 
ment, sending  hither  all  its  convicts.  Here  under  vigorous 
discipline  they  have  little  chance  of  escape. 

Past  Pernambuco  and  Bahia  we  continued  along  the 
Brazil  coast,  until  we  reached  the  parallel  of  23°  south, 
and  entered  the  belt  of  sou'west  passage  winds.  These 
winds  blow  almost  continuously  from  the  western  quarter, 
varying  from  W.  N.  W.  to  W.  S.  W.  As  the  ship  draws 
out  of  the  trade  belt  the  wind  gradually  hauls  round  by 
way  of  the  north,  allowing  the  vessel  to  come  up  to  her 
course  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  crossing  the  meridian 
of  the  Cape  on  a  parallel  of  38°  to  40°  south  and  some- 
times higher. 

Being  now  in  the  region  of  the  strong  west  passage 


36  OCEAN    LIFE 

winds,  the  "Ariel"  fairly  flew  before  them  on  her  long 
eastern  stretch  upwards  of  5,000  miles,  nearly  to  the  coast 
of  Australia,  before  again  turning  north. 

During  this  long  run  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 
the  rocky  islets  of  St.  Paul  and  Amsterdam,  there  was 
very  little  work  going  on  except  looking  after  the  ship, 
hands  continually  standing  by  the  topsail  halliards, 
clewing  down  by  the  run  in  the  furious  hail  squalls  which 
would  come  with  hurricane  force,  almost  beating  one 
to  the  deck,  with  sky  nearly  as  black  as  night. 

This  would  last  perhaps  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
when,  presto!  the  squall  would  pass,  clouds  sweep  away, 
while  the  sun  would  appear,  lighting  up  the  crest  of  the 
surges  that  rolled  past.  The  instant  the  squall  was  over 
topsails  were  again  mastheaded,  and  with  great  moun- 
tainous billows  tumbling  after,  at  times  seeming  about 
to  engulf  her,  the  "  Ariel  "  sped  onward  like  a  frightened 
deer. 

Day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  this  continued, 
until  we  reached  the  meridian,  when  we  could  once  again 
turn  to  the  north'ard,  and  entering  the  region  of  the 
trade  winds  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  shape  our  course  for 
Java  Head. 

Falling  in  with  the  southeast  trades,  the  "  Ariel  "  made 
fine  progress,  until,  coming  on  deck  one  morning  in  the 
middle  watch,  I  found  the  ship  hove  to  for  daylight,  but 
with  the  first  peep  of  dawn  she  was  again  put  upon  her 
course.  At  ten  A.  M.  (four  bells)  the  welcome  cry  of 
"  Land,  ho!"  rang  through  the  ship,  and  all  eyes  were 
at  once  strained  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  terra  firma. 
Presently  from  the  deck  could  be  seen  the  outlines  of  a 
bold  headland,  every  moment  becoming  more  distinct 
as  the  ship  sped  onward  towards  it. 

All  was  now  bustle  and  preparation  for  closing  in  with 


CROSSING    THE    LINE  37 

the  land  and  entering  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  Chain  cables 
were  hauled  on  deck  after  their  long  rest  in  the  lockers, 
and  bent,  lashings  cast  off,  and  anchors  placed  on  the 
bows.  Meantime  we  were  drawing  in  with  the  land,  and 
from  a  mere  outline  it  now  began  to  assume  shape  and 
color.  By  three  o'clock  we  had  closed  in  with  it  and 
entered  Sunda  Straits. 

Sailing  northerly  along  the  coast  from  Java  Head,  the 
land  is  high,  and  covered  with  dense  forests  having  rich 
tropical  foliage.  The  ship  was  well  in  under  the  shore, 
and  I  thought  I  could  never  tire  of  gazing  at  it. 

About  dusk  the  land  breeze  came  off,  sweeping  over 
the  ship,  laden  with  the  fragrance  of  tropical  fruits  and 
flowers  so  heavy  with  perfume  as  to  almost  intoxicate 
the  senses.  This,  mingled  with  the  fresh  earthy  smell,  to 
which  we  had  so  long  been  strangers,  was  inhaled  in  deep 
draughts.  Java  Head,  and  my  first  night  in  Sunda  Straits, 
remain  to-day  impressed  upon  my  memory.  With  day- 
light, boats  from  Anger  met  us  and  dropped  alongside, 
while  the  crews,  composed  of  Malays,  scrambled  over 
the  rails  like  cats.  They  were  trading  boats  laden  with 
tropical  fruits:  green  cocoanuts,  bananas,  oranges, 
limes,  also  vegetables,  —  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  strings 
of  onions  and  garlic;  in  short,  all  vegetables  grown  in 
the  tropics,  with  ducks,  geese,  chickens,  fowls,  goats, 
pigs,  and  many  other  things,  all  tempting  enough  to  men 
who  had  been  deprived  of  fresh  grub  as  long  as  we  had. 

The  Malays  comprising  the  boat  crews  were  a  source 
of  great  interest  to  me.  A  small,  undersized  class  of  men, 
tawny,  with  coal-black  hair  and  small,  piercing  eyes, 
well  formed  and  featured,  active  and  springy,  as  nimble 
as  cats,  they  sprang  from  their  boats  up  the  ship's  side 
and  swarmed  on  board,  the  captain,  or  serang,  making 
his  way  aft,  where  stood  Captain  King  and  officers. 


38  OCEAN    LIFE 

With  a  bland  smile  and  salaaming  to  the  deck,  be 
presented  his  "  chit  "  or  recommendation  given  him  by 
the  ships  that  he  had  supplied  while  passing  Anger,  and 
endorsing  him  as  the  one  man  who  could  supply  all  the 
next  ship's  needs.  There  is  great  rivalry  between  these 
boats,  but  as  far  as  the  ships  are  concerned  it  is  generally 
"  first  come,  first  served." 

It  is  amusing  to  see  the  serang  bowing  and  smiling  while 
the  captain  is  reading  over  his  recommendations,  which 
he  cannot  do  himself,  in  many  cases  denouncing  him  as 
a  swindling  cheat,  and  the  greatest  scoundrel  that  ever 
went  unhung.  Of  course  they  are  mostly  written  as  a 
joke,  and  are  so  taken  by  the  reader,  and  no  -more  notice 
being  taken  of  it,  he  gets  permission  to  trade,  although 
there  may  be  others.  This  amounts  to  considerable, 
as,  besides  fruit  and  vegetables,  live  stock  is  taken  on 
board  in  quantities  to  supply  the  ship  with  fresh  pro- 
visions, fore  and  aft,  for  the  voyage  up  the  China  Sea, 
it  being  more  economical,  at  the  prices,  to  feed  the  men 
on  fresh  meat,  saving  the  salt  beef  and  pork;  so  Jack 
lives  high,  on  fresh  grub  with  vegetables  daily. 

The  weather  being  fine,  the  "  Ariel  "  ran  into  the  road- 
stead, coming  to  anchor  off  the  town  or  village.  Large 
supplies  were  taken  on  board,  of  fruit,  vegetables,  and 
live  stock.  Never  before  having  tasted  bananas,  and  in 
fact  very  little  of  fruit  grown  in  the  tropics,  they  were  a 
revelation  to  me,  and  when  the  first  boat  boarded  us  in 
the  early  morning,  I  traded  with  a  Malay  an  old  pair 
of  trousers  for  a  big  bunch,  and,  taking  it  into  the 
fo'c'sle,  for  four  or  five  days  I  ate  little  else. 

While  at  anchor  Captain  King  went  ashore  in  his  gig, 
and  to  my  delight  I  was  ordered  as  one  of  the  boat's 
crew.  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  little  of 
Malay  life  on  shore.  We  wandered  around  among  the 


CROSSING    THE    LINE  39 

houses  or  huts,  constructed  of  bamboo  with  thatched 
roofs,  while  swarms  of  women  and  children,  the  latter 
clad  in  sunlight  only,  gazed  curiously  at  us,  but  we  could 
understand  each  other  by  sign  language  alone. 

The  following  morning  getting  under  way  and  passing 
between  Sumatra  and  the  N.  W.  end  of  the  island  of 
Java,  we  entered  the  Java  Sea,  shaping  our  course  for 
Caspar  Straits. 

The  Java  Sea  and  Malay  Archipelago  were  at  this 
time  infested  with  pirates,  who,  in  their  long,  sharp  proas, 
were  constantly  dodging  about,  looking  for  some  craft 
that  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  run  ashore  on  any  of 
the  numerous  coral  reefs  or  sand  banks  that  abounded 
in  these  waters,  and  woe  betide  the  ship  that  was  caught 
at  anchor  in  the  night  time  in  any  of  the  straits,  or 
passages,  with  the  watch  on  deck  asleep;  in  which  case, 
although  not  a  thing  may  have  been  in  sight  when  she 
came  to  anchor,  towards  morning  there  would  silently 
steal  out  of  the  darkness  a  fleet  of  proas,  each  manned 
by  forty  or  fifty  Malays,  perhaps  more,  and  once  along- 
side with  their  deadly  creese  or  knife  between  their  teeth, 
swarming  up  the  ship's  side,  in  a  twinkling  they  would 
be  on  deck,  and  before  the  dazed  watch  could  realize 
it,  those  not  murdered  would  be  driven  below,  and  the 
ship  in  their  possession,  to  be  plundered  and  perhaps 
burnt,  while  all  who  escaped  would  be  taken  on  shore, 
kept  in  confinement  and  held  for  a  good  round  ransom. 

Ships  in  these  waters  always  carried  a  good  armory 
on  board,  consisting  of  muskets,  pistols,  cutlasses,  and 
boarding-pikes,  and  generally  two  or  four  large  guns  on 
deck,  in  the  use  of  which  the  crew  were  carefully  trained. 

This  did  not  often  occur,  however,  with  American  or 
English  ships,  as  the  rascals  were  generally  too  cautious 
to  attack  a  ship  in  daylight,  or  under  sail,  or  one  that 


40  OCEAN   LIFE 

they  knew  was  on  the  alert.  In  these  days  their  pirating 
is  about  over,  the  men-of-war  of  the  Dutch  and  English 
governments  having  about  exterminated  them,  showing 
no  mercy. 


CHAPTER   V 
1846 

BOAT  TOWNS  ON  CANTON  RIVER.  —  LOADING  TEAS.  — 
HOMEWARD    BOUND 

THROUGH  Caspar,  past  Singapore,  we  continued  through 
the  China  Sea,  and  in  due  course  came  to  anchor  in  the 
Canton  River  off  "  Bambootown,"  Whampoa,  a  boat 
town  on  the  river  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  below  Canton. 
These  boat  towns  are  curious.  Here  people  are  born, 
live,  and  die,  without  hardly  ever  being  on  shore,  living 
mostly  on  rice  and  fish  caught  from  the  river.  They 
attend  on  the  shipping,  doing  the  washing  for  the  officers 
and  crews. 

Coming  to  an  anchor,  our  sails  were  smoothly  furled, 
and  the  ship  moored  for  a  long  stay. 

The  following  morning  a  boat  was  got  ready  with  a 
crew  of  picked  men,  and  Captain  King  left  for  the  city 
of  Canton,  returning  in  two  days  and  bringing  a  gentleman 
with  him. 

The  "  Ariel/'  being  in  ballast  with  no  cargo  to  dis- 
charge, was  soon  ready  to  receive  her  cargo  of  teas,  to 
be  sent  down  from  Canton  in  lighters,  or  cargo  boats, 
and  in  a  week  or  ten  days  the  first  boats  came  alongside, 
and  were  speedily  unloaded,  others  taking  their  places 
until  our  lading  was  completed.  The  tea-chests,  com- 
posed of  whole  chests,  halves  and  quarters,  neat  and 

41 


42  OCEAN    LIFE 

clean,  were  encased  in  matting  and  marked  with  the 
ship's  name,  "  Ariel." 

During  our  stay  the  crew  were  allowed  liberty  on  Sun- 
day, one  watch  at  a  time,  but  there  was  very  little  to 
attract  on  shore,  and  the  crew  after  one  trip  preferred 
to  remain  on  board,  or  visit  the  crew  of  the  ship  "  Chi- 
cora,"  that  was  anchored  within  a  half-mile. 

Abel  and  myself  were  not  allowed  to  go  on  shore 
at  all,  it  being,  in  the  opinion  of  the  captain,  no  place 
for  boys,  and  he  was  right,  no  doubt,  although  we 
did  not  see  it  in  that  light,  thinking  it  a  great  hard- 
ship. 

Our  cargo  completed,  Captain  King  came  down  from 
Canton,  bringing  with  him  two  gentlemen,  who  were  to 
make  the  home  voyage  with  us  as  passengers. 

The  ship  was  unmoored,  chain  hove  short,  sail  made, 
anchor  tripped  and  hove  to  bows,  and  with  her  nose 
pointing  down  river  passed  the  "  Chicora,"  whose  crew 
gave  us  three  hearty  cheers,  which  were  responded  to 
by  our  men  with  a  will. 

This  time  the  "  Ariel  "  was  homeward  bound! 

A  pleasant  run  down  the  China  Sea  brought  us  to  the 
Straits  of  Banca.  Through  these  we  passed,  coming  to 
anchor  at  night  to  await  for  daylight. 

Being  now  in  dangerous  waters,  a  vigilant  watch  was 
kept  for  pirates;  guns  were  loaded,  and  all  prepared  to 
give  them  a  warm  reception  should  they  make  us  a  call, 
but  the  night  passed  without  seeing  anything,  and  at 
the  first  peep  of  daylight  we  were  again  under  way. 
At  Anger,  however,  I  learned  that  a  ship  passing  Banca 
some  two  or  three  days  ahead  of  us  had  been  attacked 
while  lying  at  anchor  during  the  night,  but  the  pirates 
were  beaten  off,  the  cook  sustaining  the  loss  of  an  ear 
while  giving  them  a  deluge  of  scalding  water  from  his 


BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER      43 

coppers,  which  he  had  filled  and  under  which  he  had 
kept  a  good  fire  in  anticipation  of  their  attack. 

Here,  at  Anger,  we  again  stocked  up  with  fruits,  vege- 
tables, and  live  stock  of  all  kinds,  for  the  homeward 
voyage. 

Leaving  Java,  our  decks  were  filled  with  coops  which 
were  stuffed  with  chickens,  fowl,  geese  and  ducks,  while 
pigs  and  goats  filled  the  pens. 

Added  to  all  this,  every  man  forward  had  his  pet 
monkey,  sometimes  two  or  three,  while  cages,  hanging 
from  every  point  to  which  they  could  be  attached,  were 
filled  with  Java  sparrows,  cockatoos,  and  birds  of  every 
variety  of  plumage;  but  very  few  were  destined  to  reach 
New  York. 

In  addition  to  the  foVsle  stock  there  were  two  very 
large  Sumatra  monkeys,  of  a  dirty  yellow  color,  standing 
between  three  and  four  feet  high.  These  were  kept 
chained  in  the  stern  of  the  long-boat,  and  belonged  to 
the  two  passengers.  Some  of  the  monkeys  forward  were 
of  a  good  size,  but  most  of  them  were  small.  They  were 
a  source  of  great  amusement,  constantly  cutting  up  all 
sorts  of  antics,  and  being  very  mischievous,  would  steal 
anything  they  could  lay  their  hands  or  paws  on.  As 
Jack  did  not  tie  them  up,  they  swarmed  all  over  the  ship's 
rigging,  and  if  anything  on  deck  took  their  fancy,  they 
would  drop  down,  seize  it,  and  be  aloft  again,  almost 
impossible  to  catch,  as  they  would  spring  from  point  to 
point,  chattering  .and  scolding  at  a  great  rate.  This 
propensity  for  thieving  cost  most  of  them  their  lives. 

One  day  the  steward  had  taken  the  dinner  to  the  cabin 
table,  leaving  it  to  go  to  the  galley.  No  one  was  below, 
and  it  being  warm,  the  skylight  over  the  table  was  off. 
Two  of  the  larger  monkeys  were  about  the  after  rigging. 
They  had  apparently  been  watching  the  steward,  and 


44  OCEAN    LIFE 

seeing  the  coast  clear,  descended,  dropping  down  through 
the  skylight,  and  seizing  a  pair  of  chickens,  on  which  the 
captain  and  passengers  were  to  dine,  they  sprang  on 
deck,  and  in  a  twinkling  were  aloft,  just  as  the  steward 
returned  from  announcing  dinner.  On  entering  the  cabin 
the  chickens  were  missed,  and  looking  up,  the  scamps 
were  discovered  in  the  mizzen  top,  chattering  and  grin- 
ning, while  they  looked  down  at  their  pursuers.  Several 
men  had  jumped  into  the  rigging  to  catch  them,  but  their 
efforts  were  of  no  avail;  the  monkeys  were  too  nimble, 
and  finally  running  out  on  a  yard  arm,  dropped  the 
chickens,  one  going  overboard,  and  the  other  on  deck 
in  a  condition  hardly  fit  for  the  captain's  table. 

This  theft  angered  Captain  King,  and  sealed  their 
doom,  for,  after  finishing  in  the  cabin,  the  captain  and 
passengers  brought  up  their  pistols  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  a  fusillade  began,  which  picked  off  monkeys  in  all 
directions,  many  going  overboard,  until  not  a  Jocko 
was  seen  about  the  rigging.  Then  the  order  was  given 
that  all  monkeys  that  were  not  kept  tied  up  should  be 
served  in  the  same  manner. 

This  action  of  Captain  King's  almost  produced  a  mutiny. 
The  owners  of  the  monkeys  that  were  shot  were  furious, 
looking  upon  the  action  as  cruel  and  unjustifiable,  and 
many  an  oath  was  registered  to  get  even  some  day,  and 
two  weeks  after,  when  we  turned  to  one  morning  to  wash 
down  decks,  the  big  monkeys  in  the  long-boat  were  both 
found  dead,  having  been  strangled  during  the  night  by 
some  one,  whom,  no  one  ever  knew,  although  a  reward 
was  offered  for  the  perpetrator.  After  this,  matters 
quieted  down,  Jack  taking  care  to  keep  his  pets  tied  up, 
but  most  of  them  succumbed  to  the  bad  weather  off  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  only  two  reached  New  York 
safely. 


BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER     45 

After  leaving  Java,  Charles  Johnson,  one  of  the 
crew,  was  taken  down  with  fever,  and  that  scourge 
of  the  East,  dysentery.  Day  after  day  he  grew  worse, 
and  from  a  strong,  well-built  man  fell  away  to  a  mere 
shadow. 

He  had  been  removed  from  the  close  fo'c'sle,  and  a 
bed  was  made  for  him  in  the  bow  of  the  long-boat,  where 
he  could  have  plenty  of  air.  He  would  lie  there  all  day 
long  reading  his  Bible,  and  when  off  duty  the  various 
members  of  the  crew  would  watch  with  and  read  to  him, 
when  he  became  too  weak  to  read  himself.  Everything 
was  done  for  him,  but  in  vain.  He  was  fully  at  peace 
and  longed  to  go,  and  one  bright,  beautiful  morning, 
Johnson's  soul  took  its  flight. 

After  breakfast  his  wasted  body  was  taken  from  the 
long-boat,  sewn  up  in  his  hammock,  and  placed  on  a 
plank  extending  from  a  cask  to  the  rail  amidships.  The 
American  ensign  was  placed  over  him.  All  being  in 
readiness,  the  main  yard  was  thrown  aback,  and  all 
hands  called  to  bury  the  dead.  Sadly,  the  crew  mustered 
in  the  ship's  waist,  grouped  around  the  corpse,  with  two 
standing  at  the  head  of  the  plank,  and  one  on  either  side, 
the  officers  at  the  head  awaiting  Captain  King,  who, 
accompanied  by  the  passengers,  presently  emerged  from 
the  cabin  door,  prayer-book  in  hand.  Advancing,  he 
took  his  station  at  the  head,  and  read  the  beautiful 
burial  service  for  the  dead  at  sea.  It  was  a  solemn  scene, 
and  tears  glistened  in  the  eyes  of  many  of  the  crew,  for 
Johnson  was  a  favorite  with  all. 

With  the  words,  "  We  commit  the  body  to  the  deep," 
the  end  of  the  plank  was  lifted,  and  the  hammock, 
heavily  weighted  at  the  end,  slid  down,  and,  with  a  splash, 
the  blue  sea  closed  over  all  that  remained  of  our  ship- 
mate, while  the  order  to  "  Fill  away  the  main  topsail!  " 


46  OCEAN    LIFE 

brought  us  back  to  a  realization  that  all  was  over,  and 
our  messmate  gone  forever. 

We  lost  one  other  under  the  same  circumstances,  — 
fever  and  dysentery,  —  committing  him  to  old  ocean  ere 
we  were  up  with  Madagascar. . 

With  fine,  strong,  trade  winds  bowling  us  along,  passing 
the  south  end  of  Madagascar,  and  later  the  meridian  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  nothing  of  note,  except  the  two 
deaths  before  mentioned,  occurred  during  our  run  through 
the  Indian  Ocean.  Doubling  the  Cape  with  a  fair  wind, 
and  hugging  the  land  which  was  in  plain  sight  from  Cape 
Agulhas  to  Table  Bay,  the  "  Ariel  "  again  entered  the 
south  Atlantic,  shaping  her  course  for  St.  Helena  and 
the  S.  E.  trades. 

Up  to  this  point  I  have  made  very  little  mention  of  the 
work  at  sea  on  shipboard.  I  have  often  been  asked  the 
question,  "  What  do  sailors  have  to  do  at  sea,  with  a  fair 
wind  and  fine  weather?  " 

To  this  query  I  answer:  In  every  well  regulated 
ship  a  sailor  has  no  idle  moments,  except  in  his  watch 
below,  and  on  holidays;  chafing  gear,  of  which  there  are 
large  quantities,  is  being  constantly  worn  out  and  has 
to  be  replaced  with  new,  all  of  which,  in  addition  to  spun 
yarn,  sennit,  mats,  rugs,  fancy  work  for  capstan  covers, 
and  many  other  things,  are  made  on  shipboard  by  the 
crew,  while  sail  making  and  repairing,  work  on  standing 
rigging,  setting  up  and  turning  in,  tarring,  painting,  with 
tricks  at  the  wheel,  and  lookouts,  making  and  taking  in 
sail  and  attendance  to  general  orders,  do  not  leave  much 
spare  time  on  Jack's  hands  when  on  duty,  and  the  officer 
who  cannot  find  work  enough  to  keep  his  men  constantly 
employed  is  lacking  in  a  knowledge  of  his  business. 
This  was  not  often  the  case  at  the  time  of  which  I  write. 

The  "  Ariel's  "   rigging  being  new  on  her  departure 


BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER      47 

from  her  home  port,  it  took  about  all  the  outward  voyage 
to  get  the  stretch  out  of  it,  while  luff,  and  watch  tackles, 
were  in  almost  constant  use,  but  now  being  pretty  well 
out,  it  was  ready  to  be  turned  in  afresh,  and  put  in  a 
condition  that  is  pleasing  to  a  sailor's  eye,  also  to  present 
a  fine,  shipshape  appearance  on  arrival  in  port.  To  one 
not  versed  in  these  matters,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
understand  the  labor  and  care  bestowed  upon  every  little 
detail  of  this  work,  and  from  the  time  we  rounded  the 
Cape  and  took  the  S.  E.  trades  it  was  all  hands  at  work, 
no  more  afternoon  watch  below. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  never  been  allowed  to  take  my 
regular  turn  at  steering  the  ship,  although  I  had  often 
stood  at  night  on  the  lee  side  of  the  wheel,  and  in  good 
weather  I  frequently  steered  the  ship  by  the  hour  together, 
under  the  guidance  and  eye  of  the  helmsman.  I  knew  the 
compass,  and  could  box  it  (repeat  it  backward)  as  readily 
as  I  could  count  my  fingers,  but  had  never  been  left  alone 
in  charge  of  the  wheel.  I  was  now  ordered  to  take  my 
regular  trick,  the  same  as  others  of  the  ship's  company, 
being  often  kept  at  the  wheel  four  hours,  instead  of 
two,  when  the  one  who  followed  me  was  engaged  on 
some  special  work. 

I  loved  to  steer  the  ship,  and  in  a  short  time  became 
an  expert  helmsman.  What  glorious  weather  one  experi- 
ences within  the  limits  of  these  trade  winds !  —  a  long 
swell  that  kept  the  "  Ariel  "  gently  rolling  from  side  to 
side,  the  wind  being  nearly  dead  aft,  steady  trades,  not 
varying  a  half-point  day  after  day  and  week  after  week, 
no  squalls,  no  sails  to  trim,  only  an  occasional  pull  at 
the  halliards  to  bowse  everything  taut,  wind  not  over 
strong,  but  enough  to  bowl  the  ship  along  from  seven 
to  eight  knots  per  hour,  a  cloudless  sky  o'erhead,  with 
the  exception  of  the  light  fleecy  trade  clouds  that  con- 


48  OCEAN    LIFE 

stantly  hung  around  the  horizon,  and  bright,  warm  sun- 
shine every  day,  while  the  nights  were  resplendent  with 
the  brilliancy  of  the  constellations  of  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere. This  was  indeed  ideal  sailing.  The  sunrises  and 
sunsets  were  beautiful  almost  beyond  description,  and 
often,  while  at  the  wheel,  I  would  become  so  absorbed 
in  watching  the  glory  of  the  departing  day,  with  its  gor- 
geousness  of  color,  as  old  Sol  sank  to  his  ocean  bed,  that 
I  would  almost  forget  my  duties  until  a  glance  at  the 
compass  would  bring  me  to  a  realization  that  the  "  Ariel  " 
was  from  a  half  to  a  point  off  her  course. 

Under  a  cloud  of  canvas,  with  stun'sails  spread  alow 
and  aloft,  the  ship  swept  steadily  on,  passing  close  to  St. 
Helena,  that  small  rocky  islet,  distinguished  as  being 
the  prison  home  of  the  great  Napoleon,  on,  past  Ascension 
Island,  until  we  again  crossed  the  equator,  and  entered 
the  home  waters  of  the  north  Atlantic. 

During  all  this  long  run,  the  work  of  the  crew  upon 
the  rigging  went  steadily  on.  I  was  placed  under  the 
various  members  of  the  crew,  while  at  their  respective 
tasks,  acting  as  an  assistant  or  helper,  soon  becoming 
quite  proficient  in  the  knowledge  of  knotting,  splicing, 
and  serving,  etc.,  picking  up  from  the  men,  by  close 
observation  and  attention  to  the  manner  of  doing  their 
work,  the  knowledge  that  is  so  necessary  to  a  thorough 
seaman.  Herein  lies  the  advantage  of  long  voyages  to 
the  young  man  commencing  a  seafaring  life.  He  may 
go  a  lifetime  in  the  western  ocean  trade  or  on  short 
voyages,  and  yet  see  none  of  the  work  that  is  done  on  a 
ship  bound  home  from  India  or  China,  while  rolling  down 
the  trades  between  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  the 
equator,  or  very  little  of  it,  much  less  participate  in  it. 
All  this  work  on  vessels  making  short  trips  is  generally 
done  by  riggers  while  lying  in  port,  and  their  work  does 


LONGWOOD,    ST.   HELENA,    PRISON  HOME   OF  NAPOLEON 


BOTOFOQO    BAY,     AND    PEAKS    OF    GABIA    AND    CORCOVADA,    RIO    DE 
JANEIRO  [See  page  268 


-.' 


BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER     49 

not  carry  the  neatness  of  detail  and  finish  of  that  done 
on  shipboard.  Look  over  a  ship  fresh  from  the  rigger's 
hands,  and  one  just  in  from  Calcutta  or  Hongkong, 
and  the  eye  quickly  notes  the  difference  between  the 
two  in  the  appearance  of  their  rigging. 

All  through  this  fine  weather,  during  my  forenoon  watch 
below,  I  was  obliged  to  go  aft  and  study  navigation.  In 
this  I  became  quite  interested,  getting  a  good  theoretical 
knowledge  of  the  rules,  and  in  a  short  time  could  keep 
dead  reckoning,  work  the  latitude  by  a  noon  observation 
and  longitude  by  chronometer  time,  but  was  not  allowed 
as  yet  to  handle  the  quadrant  or  sextant,  or  take  an 
observation  myself,  which  I  longed  to  do,  and  mentally 
resolved  that  on  my  next  voyage  I  would  have  a  quadrant 
of  my  own. 

Encountering  no  calms,  we  passed  from  the  S.  E.  to 
the  N.  E.  trades  of  the  north  Atlantic,  every  day's  run 
bringing  us  nearer  New  York,  while  at  night  the  single 
stars  and  constellations  greeted  us  like  old  familiar  faces, 
the  North  Star  bidding  us  the  first  welcome  as  it  twinkled 
on  the  horizon's  edge.  At  each  watch  below,  especially 
the  dog-watch,  the  conversation  was  principally  on  future 
plans  when  they  should  arrive  in  New  York,  whom  they 
would  board  with,  where  they  would  go,  and  how  dispose 
of  their  wages,  —  which  amounted  to  a  good  round  sum 
by  this  time,  —  interspersed  with  reminiscences  of  past 
experience. 

Being  now  fairly  within  the  trades,  came  "  rattling 
down,"  tarring  rigging,  and  painting  ship  outside  and  in. 
This  work  completed,  we  were  now  north  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  fast  approaching  the  latitude  of  Bermuda. 
Here  we  looked  for  a  change  of  weather,  and  thick  clothing 
was  got  out  and  overhauled.  Each  night,  as  the  watch 
gathered  in  the  fo'c'sle,  would  be  repeated  the  old  couplet: 


50  OCEAN   LIFE 

"  If  Bermuda  let  you  pass, 
Look  out  for  Cape  Hatteras." 

It  seemed  to  be  a  fixed  fact  that  we  were  bound  to 
catch  a  big  gale  off  one  or  the  other,  but  there  is  another 
old  saying,  "  A  watched  pot  never  boils,"  so,  in  this 
case  anticipating  both,  we  got  neither,  but  favored  by 
strong  southerly  and  westerly  winds,  with  good  clear 
weather,  the  "  Ariel  "  passed  the  Gulf  Stream  and  struck 
soundings  in  seventy  fathoms. 

Chains  up,  anchors  were  again  got  ready,  and  the 
following  night  we  took  a  pilot  on  board,  and  before 
reaching  the  Highlands  of  Navesink  we  took  a  tugboat, 
passed  the  Hook  and  Staten  Island,  where  the  quarantine 
officers  boarded  but  did  not  detain  us,  and  finally  dropped 
anchor  off  the  Battery,  our  long  voyage  ended. 

Sails  having  been  unbent  on  our  way  up  in  tow  of 
the  tug,  we  were  speedily  placed  alongside  of  the  pier 
in  the  East  River. 

No  sooner  were  we  berthed  than  the  runners  from 
the  various  sailor  boarding-houses  swarmed  on  board  to 
induce  the  men  to  put  up  with  them,  each  one  extolling 
the  merits  of  his  own  particular  house,  —  frequently 
enforcing  his  claims  with  spirited  arguments  in  the  shape 
of  a  small  flask  drawn  from  the  hip  pocket,  —  and  in 
less  than  an  hour  the  ship  was  deserted  by  all  save  the 
officers,  the  carpenter,  Abel,  and  myself. 

The  following  morning  the  captain  left  word  on  board 
that  the  crew  would  be  paid  off  the  next  day.  This  over, 
I  accepted  an  invitation  from  Captain  Michael  Gregory, 
of  Marblehead,  with  whom  I  had  fallen  in,  to  make  the 
trip  to  Boston  on  his  vessel,  the  brig  "  Mary  Ellen," 
and  the  following  morning,  bidding  adieu  to  the  "  Ariel," 
I  went  on  board  the  brig,  sailing  that  afternoon  through 
Hell  Gate  and  Long  Island  Sound,  past  Nantucket,  over 


BOAT    TOWNS    ON    CANTON    RIVER     51 

the  shoals,  rounded  the  Highland  Light,  and  after  a 
little  brush  in  the  bay  arrived  safely  in  Boston.  Taking 
the  train  to  Marblehead,  I  met  on  my  arrival  with  a 
warm  welcome  from  my  sister  and  the  family,  but  learned 
with  sorrow  of  my  grandmother's  death. 

My  old  schoolmates  gave  me  quite  an  ovation,  regard- 
ing me  as  one  to  be  envied,  having  made  a  voyage  to 
Europe  and  China,  being  absent  over  a  year. 


CHAPTER   VI 
1846  -  1847 

KIO   DE  JANEIRO. — CAPE   HORN.  —  OTAHEITE 

A  MONTH  on  shore,  and  I  shipped  as  ordinary  seaman 
on  the  "  Tsar,"  a  fine  ship  of  nearly  seven  hundred  tons, 
just  home  from  Russia,  where  the  ship  had  been  presented 
with  a  set  of  silk  colors  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas  L, 
as  a  compliment  for  the  name.  Her  first  voyage  com- 
pleted, she  was  bound  to  the  north  and  south  Pacific, 
thence  to  China.  At  that  time  she  was  considered  a  large 
ship,  carrying  a  crew  of  twenty  forward,  —  including  two 
ordinary  seamen,  and  four  boys  making  their  first  voyage, 
—  captain  (Captain  Samuel  Kenneday),  first  and  second 
officers,  cook,  steward,  and  carpenter,  twenty-six  all 
told. 

Sailing  from  Boston,  in  the  spring  of  746,  the  "  Tsar  " 
made  a  good  run  to  the  equator,  crossing  the  same  and 
taking  the  S.  E.  trades  (fresh),  arrived  at  Rio  Janeiro 
forty-five  days  from  Boston. 

The  land  from  Cape  Frio  to  the  entrance  of  the  bay 
runs  about  east  and  west,  Cape  Frio  being  a  very  high 
headland,  surmounted  by  a  fine  lighthouse.  The  coast, 
as  one  approaches  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  figure  of  an  immense  man  lying  upon 
his  back,  the  peaks  of  the  Gabia  and  Corcovada  with  the 
high  hills  forming  the  upper  portion  of  the  body,  while 

52 


RIO    DE    JANEIRO.  —  CAPE    HORN       53 

the  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay  forms 
his  feet.  The  contour  is  perfect  when  viewed  from  the 
right  direction.  Off  the  entrance  lie  two  small  islands 
named  Pai  and  Mai.  The  bay  of  Rio  Janeiro  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  finest  in  the  world.  I  shall  have  occasion 
to  refer  to  the  city  and  its  noble  bay  later  on.  The  scenery 
as  viewed  from  the  ship  was  magnificent. 

Failing  to  reach  the  entrance  before  the  sea  breeze 
ended,  we  were  obliged  to  remain  outside  the  harbor  all 
night.  About  8  P.  M.  the  land  breeze  struck  off  in  a  strong 
gust,  with  squalls  of  wind  and  rain,  accompanied  with 
peals  of  thunder  and  vivid  lightning,  clearing  away 
after  midnight,  followed  by  calm. 

Taking  the  sea  breeze  in  the  morning,  passing  the 
islands  and  Sugar  Loaf  on  the  port  hand,  the  fort  of 
Santa  Cruz  on  our  right,  —  from  which  we  were  hailed 
as  to  the  port  we  came  from,  if  all  were  well  on  board, 
etc.,  —  thence  past  the  upper  forts,  we  dropped  anchor 
opposite  the  city  a  little  below  the  island  of  Cobras, 
where  one  of  the  finest  dry  docks  in  the  world,  belonging 
to  the  Brazilian  government,  is  now  located.  Here  the 
doctor  came  on  board,  but  finding  no  sickness,  and  a 
clean  bill  of  health,  admitted  her  to  pratique,  allowing 
communication  with  the  shore. 

Quite  a  number  of  vessels  lay  at  anchor,  among  them 
several  men-of-war.  They  were  of  different  nationalities, 
and  I  noted  the  American  flag  floating  from  many  peaks. 

While  in  port  no  one  visited  the  shore  except  the 
captain.  I  was  one  of  the  boat's  crew  but  was  not  allowed 
to  leave  the  boat  while  waiting  for  him. 

After  a  stay  of  four  days,  the  anchor  was  again  weighed, 
and  taking  advantage  of  the  land  breeze  early  in  the 
morning,  we  took  our  departure  from  Rio  Janeiro,  answer- 
ing the  hail  from  Santa  Cruz,  and  outside  of  Pai  and  Mai 


54  OCEAN    LIFE 

Islands  caught  the  sea  breeze  again  and  were  speeding 
our  way  south. 

Off  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  we  experienced  a  strong  pam- 
pero, which  blew  with  great  force.  These  pamperos  are 
violent  gales  that  sweep  the  plains  of  Buenos  Ayres. 
They  are  preceded  by  heavy  thunder  and  most  vivid 
lightning,  and  on  shore  by  a  dense  cloud  of  fine  impalpable 
dust,  —  that  would  penetrate  anything  that  water  would 
go  through,  —  with  hailstones  of  a  very  large  size,  or 
heavy  rain. 

After  passing  the  parallel  of  40°  south,  the  "  Tsar  " 
was  put  in  condition  to  encounter  heavy  weather  off 
the  Cape.  Best  sails  were  bent  and  new  running  gear 
rove.  In  the  foVsle,  warm,  thick  clothing  was  got  out 
and  overhauled  and  the  conversation  in  the  watch  below 
savored  of  past  experiences  off  the  stormy  Cape. 

With  the  exception  of  a  little  brush  off  the  Patagonian 
coast,  all  went  well,  and  passing  the  Falkland  Islands, 
we  sighted  Staten  Land,  an  island  lying  east  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego  (Land  of  Fire),  the  strait  between  being  called  Le 
Maire. 

Staten  Land  is  an  island  of  considerable  size  and  heavily 
wooded,  but  uninhabited. 

Rounding  the  east  end  with  a  fair  wind,  with  every 
stitch  of  canvas  drawing,  we  sped  on  for  Cape  Horn, 
hoping  to  round  it  without  a  setback,  but,  alas,  for  our 
hopes,  there  was  no  such  luck  in  store  for  us. 

Away  in  the  southwest  loomed  up  an  ominous  bank 
of  whitish  gray  mist,  sweeping  down  upon  us.  All  hands 
were  called,  light  sails  clewed  up  and  handed  in  a  hurry, 
topsail  halliards  let  go  by  the  run,  reef  tackles  hauled 
out,  while  buntlines  and  spilling-lines  were  bowsed 
taut.  The  ship  paid  off  as  it  burst  upon  us  butt  end 
foremost,  and  ere  we  could  jump  into  the  rigging  a  cold, 


RIO    DE    JANEIRO.  —  CAPE    HORN       55 

icy  blast  with  sleet  and  hail  fairly  whistled  and  howled 
about  our  ears,  as  we  laid  aloft  and  out  upon  the  yards. 
This  was  our  first  touch  of  Cape  Horn  that  we  were  not 
likely  to  forget.  With  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  it  was 
upwards  of  an  hour  ere  we  could  get  the  close  reefs  in, 
and  courses  furled,  but  all  having  been  made  snug,  our 
watch  went  below,  chilled  through  to  the  marrow,  and 
substituted  warm  and  dry  for  wet  clothing,  a  most 
agreeable  change.  Meantime  the  sea  had  risen,  and  the 
great  waves,  driven  before  the  gale,  gave  an  idea  of  what 
a  Cape  Horn  sea,  that  I  had  so  often  heard  talked  about 
in  the  foVsle,  was  like. 

We  were  now  headed  to  the  south'ard,  close-hauled, 
under  close  reefs.  From  this  time  on,  gale  followed  gale, 
with  short  intervals  of  favoring  winds,  taking  advantage 
of  which,  and  every  slant,  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  we 
had  worked  up  to  the  meridian  80°  west,  when  with  a 
fine,  strong,  sou'west  gale,  the  "  Tsar "  bore  away  to 
the  north'ard  with  all  the  canvas  the  ship  could  stagger 
under.  Bidding  Cape  Horn  a  long  farewell,  with  no 
regrets,  we  fairly  flew  towards  more  genial  weather  and 
a  warmer  climate. 

During  our  sojourn  off  the  Cape  the  ship  was  constantly 
surrounded  by  great  numbers  of  birds,  —  albatrosses, 
Cape  Horn  pigeons,  Mother  Carey's  chickens  (stormy 
petrel),  who  followed  the  ship  day  after  day,  hanging 
around  for  anything  in  the  shape  of  food  thrown  over- 
board. They  would  drop  like  a  shot  from  a  gun  and 
pounce  upon  it.  Our  men  caught  several  with  hooks 
baited  with  a  piece  of  salt  pork,  but  once  on  deck  they 
were  ungainly  and  clumsy  as  they  waddled  about  before 
they  were  again  given  their  freedom.  No  injury  is  done 
to  them,  except  viewing  them  at  close  range,  sailors 
believing  that  killing  or  injuring  these  birds  bodes  ill 


56  OCEAN   LIFE 

luck.  Sailing  through  the  air,  poised  over  the  ship,  or 
riding  the  billows,  they  present  a  most  graceful  appear- 
ance. They  followed  the  ship  for  many  days  after  we 
bore  away  north,  and  we  finally  dropped  them  after 
crossing  the  parallel  of  40°  south. 

The  "  Tsar  "  was  now  in  the  south  Pacific,  with  smooth 
sailing,  delightful  weather,  and  fine  trade  winds,  heading 
for  the  Society  Islands,  Otaheite,  the  largest  of  the 
group,  being  our  destination.  I  was  very  much  interested 
in  these  islands,  having  read  in  my  school  days  the 
"  Mutiny  of  the  Bounty,"  a  ship  sent  out  by  the  English 
government  to  make  a  collection  of  the  bread-fruit  trees 
to  take  to  the  West  Indies.  The  book  contained  a  fasci- 
nating description  of  Otaheite,  or  Tahiti,  as  it  is  more 
commonly  called. 

These  islands  of  the  South  Pacific  always  possessed  a 
great  attraction  for  me,  particularly  Tahiti  and  Moorea. 
At  this  time  Tahiti  was  a  French  possession,  that  govern- 
ment having  made  it  a  naval  rendezvous. 

One  fine  morning  the  welcome  cry  of  "  Land,  ho !  " 
greeted  our  ears,  and  ere  long  Tahiti  and  Moorea  were 
in  plain  sight. 

Beautiful  Otaheite!  well  named  the  "  Garden  of  the 
Pacific!  "  It  would  take  a  more  able  pen  than  mine  to 
describe  your  charms! 

High,  commanding,  it  rises  out  from  the  waves,  its 
hills  and  vales  clothed  with  rich,  tropical  foliage,  a 
living  green  in  strong  contrast  with  the  sparkling  blue 
waters  of  the  Pacific,  encircled  with  a  coral  reef  upon 
which  breaks  the  long  ocean  swell,  a  snowy  white,  while 
beyond  lie  the  still,  quiet  waters  of  the  harbor  of  Papatee, 
the  port  of  Tahiti,  its  entrance  being  a  narrow  channel 
through  the  reef. 

As  we  approached  nearer  a  native  came  on  board  to 


RIO    DE    JANEIRO.  —  CAPE    HORN       57 

pilot  the  ship  into  the  harbor,  where  we  dropped  anchor, 
off  the  town,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting. 

Sails  were  furled  and  decks  cleared  up,  while  until 
gun-fire  (eight  o'clock)  the  ship  was  surrounded  by  canoes 
with  natives  anxious  to  trade.  There  were  visits  to 
our  officers  from  the  officers  of  the  French  man-of-war 
to  inquire  where  from  and  what  news. 

Ere  darkness  settled  down  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
look  at  our  surroundings,  a  most  beautiful  picture.  The 
harbor  of  Papatee  nestles  down  by  the  side  of  a  high 
mountain,  the  beach  forming  a  crescent,  the  horn  on  the 
seaside  being  a  long  point  bearing  the  name  of  Point 
Venus.  It  is  covered  with  magnificent  cocoa  palms 
extending  all  around  the  beach  in  front  of  the  town. 
This  beach  is  a  pure  white  sand,  and  just  in  the  rear, 
among  the  waving  palms,  orange  and  banana  trees,  could 
be  seen  the  pretty  white  cottages  of  the  French  and 
English  residents,  not  many  at  that  time,  mingled  with 
the  picturesque  thatched  huts  of  the  natives.  Some  little 
distance  back  stood  the  government  house,  a  more  pre- 
tentious dwelling,  also  the  residence  of  the  native  queen, 
Pomare. 

The  whole  scene,  lighted  up  with  the  glory  of  the 
departing  day,  formed  a  picture  of  rare  beauty. 

The  anchor  watch  was  set,  but  it  was  late  that  night 
ere  I  closed  my  eyes  in  slumber. 

The  next  morning  was  the  Sabbath,  and  we  were 
turned  out  at  daylight  to  wash  down  decks  and  put  the 
ship  in  shape  for  a  holiday  appearance,  visitors  being 
expected  from  shore.  Stationed  at  the  head  pump  on 
the  to'gallant  foVsle,  I  had  ample  leisure  to  look  around. 

In  the  morning  light  the  scene  was  beyond  compare. 
The  mountains  and  the  hills  were  bathed  in  the  soft 
light  of  the  coming  day,  and  the  glowing,  richly  tinted 


58  OCEAN    LIFE 

clouds  that  encircled  them.  The  lighter  green  of  the 
hillsides  contrasted  with  the  deeper  shades  of  the  valleys 
and  the  graceful  foliage  of  the  waving  palms  that  extended 
around  the  beach.  The  groves  of  orange  trees  bending 
with  their  golden  fruit,  mingled  with  the  breadfruit 
trees,  and  the  banana  with  its  great  green  leaves,  while 
the  morning  breeze,  laden  with  the  breath  of  flowers, 
came  from  the  shore,  distilling  a  fragrance  rarely  inhaled 
in  other  lands. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  rising,  while  drinking  in  the  scene, 
music  from  out  the  groves  came  to  our  ears  borne  on  the 
breeze,  not  loud  and  harsh,  but  exquisitely  soft,  in  com- 
plete harmony  with  the  surroundings.  The  effect  was 
indescribable.  For  an  hour  the  band  played,  being 
stationed  in  the  groves  adjoining  the  government  house. 
I  afterwards  learned  it  was  the  band  of  the  French  troops 
quartered  at  Tahiti.  Every  evening  and  on  Sunday 
mornings  they  played  the  most  exquisite  music. 

At  eight  bells  all  our  colors  were  thrown  to  the  breeze, 
with  the  American  ensign  at  the  peak,  and  the  union 
jack  floating  from  the  jackstaff  on  the  bowsprit. 


CHAPTER   VII 

1847 

SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU.  —  CALIFORNIA    GOLD 

FEVER 

AFTER  breakfast,  the  port  watch  asked  for  and  received 
liberty  to  go  on  shore  for  the  day,  with  orders  to  be  at 
the  beach  at  sunset,  when  the  ship's  boat  would  take 
them  off.  Every  man  was  given  a  few  dollars  as  liberty 
money,  and  after  washing  up  and  putting  on  our  best 
shore  togs,  we  were  landed  on  the  beach  by  a  boat's 
crew  of  the  starboard  watch,  who  then  returned  to  the 
ship. 

After  landing,  the  men  separated  in  knots  of  twos 
and  threes,  wandering  through  the  town,  scraping  ac- 
quaintance with  the  natives,  buying  fruit  and  knick- 
knacks,  consisting  of  rare  and  curious  shells,  beautiful 
bunches  of  coral,  sea-fans,  embroidered  tappa,  cloth  made 
from  the  fibres  of  the  cocoanut  husk,  and  many  other 
curios. 

Tattooing  was  a  fine  art  in  these  islands.  In  those 
days  it  was  almost  universal  among  sailors,  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  It  was  not  long  before  the  crew  found  an 
old  native  who  was  a  past  master  in  the  art,  and  before 
the  ship  sailed  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  member  of  the 
crew  upon  whom  he  had  not  exercised  his  skill.  The 
specimens  of  his  work  on  my  arms  to-day,  although 

69 


60  OCEAN    LIFE 

nearly  sixty  years  have  elapsed,  are  as  fresh  and  bright 
as  when  first  put  in. 

In  operating  the  patient  lay  on  his  back  on  the  floor  of 
the  hut,  with  his  arm  bared  and  outstretched.  Old 
Bob's  instruments  were  a  stick,  six  or  eight  inches  long, 
with  small  sharks'  teeth  inserted  or  bound  to  one  end, 
in  ones,  twos,  fours  or  sixes.  Another  stick,  equally 
long,  was  used  as  a  tapper.  The  ingredients  were  India 
ink  and  vermilion.  Squatting  down  beside  the  arm, 
or  whatever  part  he  intended  to  operate  on,  he  would 
draw  his  design,  generally  a  ship,  a  cocoanut  tree,  a 
mermaid,  or  a  picture  taken  from  some  novel  that  he 
had  managed  to  get  hold  of,  such  as  "  Ethwild  the  Female 
Pirate,"  or  of  that  class. 

Taking  his  stick  with  the  keen  sharp  points  in  one 
hand,  and  the  tapper  in  the  other,  he  would  follow  the 
lines  drawn  upon  the  skin,  tapping,  tapping,  the  blood 
flowing  at  each  stroke.  Every  little  while  he  would  stop, 
wipe  off  the  blood,  and  rub  in  the  India  ink  or  vermilion. 
This  operation  was  continued  until  the  design  was  com- 
pleted. The  arm  would  swell,  and  be  very  sore  for  a 
few  days;  perhaps  it  would  be  a  week  before  it  felt  all 
right,  but  I  never  heard  of  any  serious  results  attending 
the  operation. 

In  company  with  the  ordinary  seaman  and  the  two 
oldest  boys,  Barnum  W.  Field  of  Boston  and  Alfred 
Currier  of  Salem,  after  strolling  around  for  awhile  we 
shaped  our  course  for  a  cruise  into  the  groves  back  of 
the  town.  Following  a  beaten  path,  and  coming  to  a 
spring  of  sparkling,  cold  water,  we  reclined  in  the  shade 
of  a  large  orange  tree,  with  guavas  and  bananas  in  pro- 
fusion around  us,  and  having  eaten  our  fill  of  these 
delicious  fruits,  we  lay  back,  listening  to  the  murmur  of 
the  spring  and  the  soft  breeze  singing  in  the  tree-tops, 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU        61 

and  falling  asleep,  did  not  wake  until  the  sun  was  well 
down  its  western  slope,  when  we  started  for  the  town 
to  be  in  time  for  the  boat  that  was  to  take  us  aboard  at 
sunset. 

At  the  beach  we  found  about  all  the  watch  assembled, 
one  or  two  arriving  at  the  last  moment.  Comparing  notes, 
all  voted  that  they  had  enjoyed  their  outing  hugely. 
I  am  sure  we  did  ours,  every  moment  of  it.  On  the  arrival 
of  our  boats  we  were  rowed  on  board  and  reported  in 
good  time,  thus  ending  our  first  liberty  day  at  Tahiti. 

The  next  morning  hatches  were  taken  off,  and  the 
work  of  overhauling  our  cargo  commenced,  as  part  was 
to  be  discharged  here,  and  the  balance  at  Honolulu, 
Sandwich  Islands. 

As  one  of  the  boat's  crew  I  spent  a  great  part  of  the 
time  on  shore,  or  making  trips  between  the  ship  and  shore. 
When  there  was  leisure,  we  would  let  the  boat  lie,  looking 
over  the  sides,  where  the  bottom  could  be  plainly  seen 
through  the  clear,  glassy  water,  many  fathoms  deep,  the 
waving  sea-fans  of  bright  colors,  and  branches  of  white 
coral,  through  which  myriads  of  fish  of  almost  every  hue 
swam,  reminding  me  of  PercivaPs  lines :  — 

"  Deep  in  the  wave  is  a  coral  grove, 
Where  the  purple  mullet  and  gold  fish  rove, 
Where  the  sea  flower  spreads  its  leaves  of  blue 
That  never  are  wet  with  the  falling  dew, 
But  in  bright  and  changeful  beauty  shine 
Far  down  in  the  deep  and  glassy  brine." 

It  seemed  as  if  I  never  would  tire  of  gazing  into  the 
depths  and  admiring  the  forms  of  life  therein. 

The  natives  were  fine  specimens  of  the  human  family; 
the  male  portion  of  good  height  and  build,  and  finely 
featured,  complexion  a  light  olive,  hair  wavy  and  black. 
The  women  were,  up  to  the  age  of  twenty-five,  generally 


62  OCEAN   LIFE 

very  handsome,  with  a  free,  upright  carriage.  As  they 
moved  along  they  appeared,  in  their  light,  flowing  drapery, 
as  graceful  as  swans. 

The  Society  Islands  were  discovered  by  the  Spanish, 
in  1606,  and  visited  by  Captains  Wallace  and  Cook  in 
1767  and  1769.  In  1842,  a  few  years  before  this,  my  first 
visit,  they  were  taken  under  French  protection.  The 
wind'ard  group  was  annexed  in  1880,  and  the  leeward 
in  1885. 

As  the  native  population  had  been  in  revolt  against 
the  French,  a  military  force  was  deemed  necessary  to 
overawe  them. 

Our  stay  at  Tahiti  covered  the  space  of  nearly  six 
weeks,  when,  having  put  ashore  all  that  portion  of  our 
cargo  to  be  landed  here,  the  anchor  was  weighed,  sail 
made  on  the  ship,  and  passing  out  through  the  reef,  we 
bade  a  regretful  adieu  to  fair  Tahiti,  shaping  our  course 
for  Oahu,  Sandwich  Islands.  How  little  I  thought  as  I 
watched  it  sink  beneath  the  horizon,  that  ere  a  few  months 
had  passed  I  should  again  revisit  it,  but  under  different 
conditions. 

A  pleasant  run  of  some  three  weeks  brought  us  in 
sight  of  the  island  of  Hawaii,  the  largest  and  most  southern 
of  the  Sandwich  group.  The  lofty  peak  of  Mauna  Loa, 
an  active  volcano  nearly  14,000  feet  in  height,  first 
appears  high  up  above  the  horizon.  Passing  Maui, 
Molokai,  and  the  smaller  islands  of  the  group,  we  sighted 
Diamond  Head,  a  high,  bold  headland,  the  most  southern 
point  of  the  island  of  Oahu.  East  and  north  some  twenty 
miles  lay  our  destination,  the  port  of  Honolulu. 

The  Honolulu  of  to-day  is  vastly  different  from  the 
same  place  sixty  years  ago.  These  islands  were  united 
into  a  kingdom  under  Kamehameha  first  in  1791,  Ameri- 
can missionaries  settled  there  in  1820,  and  the  first 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU        63 

treaty  with  the  United  States  was  made  in  1826.  The 
first  constitution  was  proclaimed  in  1840,  and  a  reciprocity 
treaty  practically  establishing  free  trade  with  the  United 
States  was  ratified  in  1875.  In  1893,  the  monarchy  was 
abrogated,  and  four  years  later  a  republic  was  established. 
In  1902,  the  republic,  under  the  title  of  Hawaii,  was 
annexed  as  a  territory  to  the  United  States  of  America. 

Closing  in  with  the  land,  we  hauled  the  main  yard  aback 
off  the  town,  outside  the  reef,  with  the  union  jack  at 
the  fore,  a  signal  for  the  pilot. 

He  soon  appeared,  in  a  whale-boat,  coming  through 
the  channel  in  the  reef,  pulled  by  a  crew  of  Kanakas, 
as  the  natives  of  all  these  islands  are  called.  Once  aboard, 
I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  he  was  a  Marblehead  man, 
Captain  John  Meek,  who  had  settled  in  the  islands, 
married  a  native  woman,  and  had  reared  a  large  family 
of  children,  some  of  the  boys  being  well  grown.  At  this 
time  he  held  the  position  of  government  pilot.  Under 
his  guidance  we  passed  through  the  reef  safely,  and  entered 
the  fine  natural  harbor,  formed  by  a  lagoon,  having  a 
depth  of  from  three  and  a  half  to  five  fathoms,  and 
bounded  seaward  by  the  reef,  with  its  snowy  surf  line. 

At  this  time  there  were  no  wharves.  The  "  Tsar," 
having  been  hauled  in  and  moored  stern  on  to  the  beach, 
discharged  her  cargo  into  lighters. 

There  was  a  large  number  of  vessels  in  port,  nearly  all 
being  ships  and  barques  engaged  in  the  whaling  business, 
and,  the  season  over  on  the  nor'west  coast,  they  had  called 
at  Honolulu  to  refit  for  a  cruise  for  sperm-whales  on  the 
equator,  or  the  coasts  of  Peru  and  Chile. 

Oahu  was  a  great  whaling  rendezvous,  where  all  the 
fleet  called,  both  going  and  returning  from  the  northern 
whaling  grounds,  and  Honolulu  was  a  lively  place,  with 
the  harbor  full  of  whale-ships,  many  lying  outside  the  reef. 


64  OCEAN   LIFE 

After  the  work  was  done  on  board,  i.  e.  putting  all 
rigging  and  gear  in  order,  tarring  and  painting,  all  this 
work  being  done  in  port,  on  a  whale-ship,  the  crew  were 
given  liberty  in  alternate  watches,  day  after  day,  as  long 
as  the  ship  remained  in  port,  each  man  receiving  liberty 
money,  from  one  to  two  dollars  each.  This  would  go  a 
long  way  if  properly  managed.  Horseback  riding  was  in 
great  vogue.  A  steed,  with  saddle,  could  be  hired  for  from 
fifty  to  sixty  cents  an  afternoon,  and  it  was  glorious  fun 
for  Jack,  who  generally  got  all  there  was  in  it.  While 
we  were  hard  at  work,  on  the  "  Tsar,"  day  after  day, 
boat-load  after  boat-load  would  pass  the  ship  on  their 
way  to  the  shore  to  enjoy  their  outing,  until  I  began  to 
imagine  that  life  on  a  whaler  must  be  very  pleasant. 
To  be  sure,  we  were  allowed  to  go  on  shore  in  the  evening 
and  on  Sundays,  generally  improving  the  opportunity, 
but  that  was  not  in  the  daytime,  when  we  could  go 
horseback  riding,  and  see  the  country  outside  of  the  town. 

While  lying  here  a  brigantine  came  into  port  and 
anchored  close  to  us.  She  was  named  the  "  Elmira," 
flying  the  English  flag,  and  a  more  beautiful  craft  I  have 
never  seen,  but  a  sad  tragedy  had  occurred.  She  sailed 
from  Mazatlan,  bound  for  China,  and  her  crew  was  com- 
posed of  Spaniards,  negroes,  and  other  hard  characters 
picked  up  on  the  coast,  a  captain,  first  and  second  officers, 
a  carpenter  (a  Scotchman)  and  two  apprentice  boys. 
She  was  in  ballast,  but  had  on  board  a  half  a  million  of 
specie.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  islands  the  crew  mutinied, 
and  took  possession  of  the  brig,  killing  all  on  board  except 
the  carpenter  and  the  two  boys.  After  all  was  over  they 
got  hold  of  the  liquors  in  the  cabin,  and  entered  upon  a 
grand  carouse.  While  part  of  them  lay  in  a  drunken 
sleep,  the  carpenter  and  boys  attacked  them,  "  Chips  " 
with  his  broadaxe  taking  the  lead.  They  succeeded  in 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU        65 

killing  all  the  mutineers,  throwing  their  bodies  over- 
board, but,  in  the  melee  a  big  fellow  got  one  of  the  boys 
partly  over  the  rail,  and  was  in  the  act  of  plunging  his 
knife  into  him,  when  the  carpenter  rushed  upon  the 
assailant,  severing  his  arm  with  the  axe  and  afterwards 
braining  him.  Again  in  possession,  one  of  the  boys 
navigated  the  brig  to  Honolulu,  and  arriving  safely,  she 
was  taken  charge  of  by  the  British  consul.  Many  years 
after,  when  I  was  in  Port  Stanley,  Falkland  Islands,  I 
saw  the  same  brig,  then  running  as  a  government  mail 
packet  between  the  Falkland  Islands  and  Montevideo, 
S.A. 

Having  discharged  the  balance  of  our  cargo,  instead  of 
proceeding  to  China  in  ballast,  Captain  Kenneday  chartered 
to  load  oil  home  to  New  Bedford,  the  hold  being  made 
ready  to  receive  oil  casks,  instead  of  tea  chests  from  a 
China  port  as  we  had  anticipated. 

We  had  partly  completed  our  lading,  when  Honolulu 
was  thrown  into  a  whirl  of  excitement,  by  the  arrival  of 
the  native  schooner  "  Kamehameha  "  from  the  coast,  with 
the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's  Mills  in 
California.  All  who  could  were  getting  ready  for  a  trip 
to  San  Francisco  and  the  gold  diggings.  Everything 
in  the  shape  of  sailing  craft  was  chartered  and  loaded  with 
provisions,  or  what  would  pay  best,  and  packed  with 
passengers,  who  were  charged  the  most  exorbitant  rates 
for  passage.  Every  night  that  we  were  on  shore  my 
ears  were  filled  with  the  wildest  stories  of  gold  discoveries, 
—  fortunes  made  in  a  month,  —  until  I  caught  the  gold 
fever  in  earnest,  and  secretly  resolved  that  when  the  ship 
was  ready  for  sea  I  would  run  away,  and  manage  to  work 
my  way  to  San  Francisco.  Keeping  my  own  counsel, 
I  made  friends  with  two  boat-steerers  of  the  whale-ship 
"  Samuel  Robertson "  of  Fairhaven,  who  advised  me 


66  OCEAN    LIFE 

not  to  leave  until  the  night  before  the  ship  was  to  sail, 
then  get  aboard  their  ship  about  two  in  the  morning, 
when  they  would  stow  me  away  until  after  the  "  Tsar  " 
left  port.  This  plan  I  successfully  carried  out.  Separating 
from  my  companions  about  the  time  they  were  getting 
ready  to  go  on  board,  I  lingered  about  until  all  was 
quiet,  then  borrowing  a  whale-boat  that  was  lying  on 
the  beach,  without  hunting  around  for  the  owner,  I 
paddled  off  under  the  bows,  climbed  on  board  by  the 
anchor  chain,  and  gained  the  to'gallant  foVsle,  from 
thence  descending  to  the  main  deck.  All  was  quiet. 
No  anchor  watch  was  kept  in  port;  not  a  soul  to  be  seen 
on  deck.  Descending  into  the  foVsle,  I  got  my  clothes- 
bag,  and  returning  on  deck,  lowered  it  into  the  boat, 
then  making  the  rope  fast,  I  slid  down,  and  casting  off, 
said  good-by  to  the  "  Tsar,"  and  paddled  on  board  the 
"  Samuel  Robertson/'  that  lay  but  a  short  distance  from 
the  ship.  James  Barrett,  one  of  my  friends,  was  on  the 
lookout  and  took  me  below,  where  I  was  stowed  away 
in  a  locker  in  the  forepeak,  remaining  there  until  the 
"  Tsar  "  sailed  the  following  afternoon. 

Coming  on  deck  before  she  was  out  of  sight,  I  watched 
her  until  hull  down.  As  she  sank  below  the  horizon,  a 
feeling  of  sadness  stole  over  me.  I  realized  that  it  was 
the  severing  of  the  chain  that  connected  me  with  home. 
But  this  feeling  did  not  last  long,  for  I  was  naturally  of 
a  buoyant  and  sanguine  temperament.  Barnum  W. 
Field,  a  Bostonian,  one  of  our  ship's  boys,  had  left  pre- 
viously, with  the  consent  of  Captain  Kenneday,  entering 
the  large  mercantile  house  of  Charles  W.  Brewer  &  Co. 
of  Honolulu  as  clerk.  At  the  time  I  commanded  the 
"  Danube,"  in  1863,  I  again  met  him  in  New  York;  he 
was  then  the  head  of  a  large  house  dealing  in  western 
produce. 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  —  HONOLULU        67 

Finding  it  impossible,  with  my  limited  means,  to  secure 
a  passage  to  San  Francisco,  I  shipped  on  the  "  Samuel 
Robertson,"  for  a  cruise  on  the  equator  to  fill  up  with 
sperm-oil,  thence  around  Cape  Horn  home.  She  was 
nearly  full,  and  a  few  whales  would  enable  her  to  fill 
up.  She  had  been  out  from  Fairhaven  three  years, 
making  a  most  successful  voyage. 

Having  signed  articles,  for  a  fortnight  I  had  all  the 
liberty  I  wished  for.  Each  day  one  watch  would  go  on 
shore,  receiving  a  dollar,  as  liberty  money,  while  on  board, 
the  watch  would  lay  around,  doing  whatever  pleased  them. 

Accustomed,  as  I  was,  to  the  strict  discipline  of  a 
merchantman,  this  was  indeed  a  change,  but  finally, 
taking  our  departure,  we  ran  down  to  Hawaii,  where  we 
took  on  board  live  stock,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  fruit, 
etc.,  after  which  the  ship  bore  away  to  the  southward 
for  the  whaling  grounds. 

This  was  an  entirely  new  phase  of  life,  differing  greatly 
from  that  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed.  After  leaving 
port  the  boats'  crews  were  chosen,  and  I  was  allotted  to 
the  first  mate's,  a  large,  seven-oared  boat,  while  all  the 
others  were  but  five.  The  boat's  crew  consisted  of  a  boat- 
header,  who  was  either  the  captain,  first,  second,  third 
or  fourth  officer,  and  the  boat's  crew  of  five,  or  seven, 
including  the  boat-steerer,  who  pulled  the  harpooner  or 
bow  oar. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

1847  -  1849 

WHALING  IN  '48.  —  AGAIN  TAHITI.  —  ESCAPE  TO  THE 
HILLS. DINNER    IN   THE    FRENCH    RESTAURANT 

TEN  or  twelve  days  out  we  sighted  our  first  whales. 
•''There  she  blows!"  came  from  the  lookout  stationed 
at  the  royal  masthead,  while  to  the  demand: 

"  Where  away?  "  came  the  response: 

"  Four  points  off  the  lee  bow,  sir!  " 

Instantly  all  was  excitement.  Captain  Turner,  seizing 
a  powerful  marine  glass,  sprang  into  the  rigging,  and 
quickly  ascended  to  the  lookout,  from  whence  in  a  few 
moments  came  the  order: 

"  Keep  her  off  four  points!  " 

This  was  speedily  done,  and  the  yards  checked  in. 

There  were  many  hands  to  do  the  work,  the  ship  having 
a  crew  of  thirty-six,  exclusive  of  officers.  Shortly  we  could 
see  from  the  deck  a  large  school  of  sperm-whales,  heading 
eastward,  swimming  slowly  along,  little  anticipating  the 
reception  being  made  ready  for  them.  Meantime  the 
officers,  with  their  respective  crews,  were  seeing  that 
the  whaling  gear  in  each  boat  was  in  readiness  for  lower- 
ing. In  fact,  the  gear  of  a  whale-boat  when  on  whaling 
ground  is  looked  after  daily.  Harpoons  and  lances  are 
as  bright  and  sharp  as  razors.  Line-tubs  are  over- 
hauled, and  every  kink  and  turn  taken  out  of  the  line 


WHALING    IN    '48.  — AGAIN    TAHITI     69 

before  being  coiled  down  in  the  tub,  when  it  is  as  supple 
as  silk. 

Water  "  breakers  "  are  kept  filled,  and  a  lantern  keg, 
with  a  small  supply  of  biscuit,  etc.,  always  ready. 

When  we  were  but  a  short  distance  from  them,  the 
school  sounded.  The  main  topsail  was  now  thrown 
aback,  and  all  made  ready  for  lowering.  Though  intensely 
exciting,  everything  was  done  very  quietly,  so  as  not 
to  alarm  the  whales.  Presently  the  school  broke  water 
about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  astern,  and  in  less  than  three 
minutes  every  boat  was  in  the  water,  and  headed  for 
the  whales,  while  every  pound  of  strength  that  was  in 
the  muscles  of  the  crews  was  thrown  into  the  oars,  until 
the  boats  fairly  flew  through  the  water. 

Just  before  we  reached  them,  our  boat  being  in  the 
lead,  the  school  again  sounded.  Lying  on  our  oars,  a 
sharp  lookout  was  kept  for  their  reappearance.  In 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  they  again  broke  water.  No 
sooner  were  they  sighted  than  the  boats  were  after  them, 
and  shortly  the  harpooner  was  ordered  to  stand  up.  I 
could  now  hear  the  "  choo'o,  choo'o,  choo'o,"  as  they 
spouted  from  their  blow-holes. 

Fairly  quivering  with  excitement,  and  turning  round 
to  get  a  good  look,  I  suddenly  received  a  tap  alongside 
the  head  from  the  mate  at  the  steering  oar,  that  caused 
me  to  see  more  stars  than  I  ever  imagined  were  made, 
with  a  quiet  admonition  that  it  was  contrary  to  rules 
to  turn  the  head  to  look,  when  pulling  on  to  a  whale. 

We  were  now  right  between  two  big  whales,  at  least 
eighty  barrels  each.  The  boat  being,  in  whaling  parlance, 
"  wood  and  black  skin "  i.  e.  the  wood  of  the  boat 
touching  the  skin  of  the  whale,  by  reaching  over  I  could 
have  placed  my  hand  upon  one,  when  the  mate  shouted 
to  let  him  have  it. 


70  OCEAN    LIFE 

The  boat-steerer,  who  is  the  harpooner,  became  gallied 
(dazed  or  frightened)  from  some  unaccountable  reason. 
He  was  too  close  for  darting,  and  instead  of  driving,  or 
setting,  his  iron  into  him  solid,  he  drove  it  at  him,  cutting 
him  down  the  side,  but  not  fastening  securely.  Catching 
np  his  second  iron,  he  fairly  pitch-poled  it  over  him. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that,  as  soon  as  one  whale  in  a 
school  is  struck,  all  the  rest  know  it.  In  an  instant  there 
was  not  an  earthquake,  but  a  waterquake  around  us,  a 
seething  mass  of  white  water,  with  heads,  flukes,  and  fins 
in  every  direction. 

Supposing  we  were  fast,  the  mate  roared,  "  To  stern 
all!  "  and  all  the  crew  thinking  the  same,  the  order  was 
obeyed  with  a  will.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write 
it,  the  whole  school,  having  become  gallied,  were  off 
to  wind'ard,  going  "  fin  out,"  like  mad. 

When  the  mate  discovered  that  Fred,  the  Portuguese 
boat-steerer,  had  missed  his  whale,  he  was  furious,  and 
acted  for  awhile  like  an  insane  man.  Catching  up  a 
paddle,  he  threw  it  at  Fred's  head,  and  dashing  his  hat 
into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  jumped  up  and  down  upon 
it,  in  the  meanwhile  cursing  him,  and  the  whole  boat's 
crew.  Then,  starting  on  another  tack,  the  boat's  head 
was  turned,  and  we  were  ordered  to  row  to  wind'ard 
after  the  whales,  the  mate  offering  everything  he  possessed, 
if  we  could  only  overhaul  the  school.  Standing  there 
bareheaded,  with  one  hand  on  the  steering  oar,  with  the 
other  he  would  set  against  my  oar  with  a  force  that  almost 
threw  me  over  the  line-tub  at  each  stroke,  while  the  crew 
pulled  as  if  for  their  lives.  But  it  was  of  no  avail,  and 
after  an  hour's  hard  work  the  school  was  about  out  of 
sight,  and  the  ship  nearly  hull  down.  The  boat's  head 
was  then  pulled  round,  and,  reluctantly,  we  returned  on 
board,  where  poor  Fred  was  "  broken,"  and  turned 


WHALING    IN    '48.  — AGAIN    TAHITI     71 

forward  among  the  crew.  According  to  his  story,  he  had 
only  been  right-whaling,  and  was  accustomed  to  a  long 
dart.  The  manner  of  approaching  a  right  whale  differs 
from  that  of  going  on  to  a  sperm-whale:  with  the  former 
you  approach  the  fore  shoulder,  and,  after  fastening, 
back  off,  out  of  the  way  of  his  flukes,  that  he  invariably 
sweeps  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  woe  betide  the 
boat  that  gets  within  reach  of  that  tail,  his  righting 
weapon.  A  dart  with  a  harpoon  is  made  from  a  distance 
of  one  to  five  fathoms.  In  the  latter  case,  a  sperm-whale 
fights  with  his  head,  and  rarely  sweeps,  but  when  struck 
with  the  iron,  fans,  i.  e.  raises  his  tail  and  brings  his 
flukes  down  with  a  crack  equal  to  ten  thousand  coach- 
whips.  In  fastening,  the  boat  is  run  by  the  corner  of 
his  flukes,  and  alongside,  and  a  dart  made  from  two  or 
three  fathoms'  distance,  but  when  Fred  found  himself 
so  close,  he  lost  his  head. 

It  was  a  bitter  disappointment  to  the  captain  and 
officers,  as  well  as  the  crew,  for  if  he  had  fastened  solid, 
probably  every  other  boat  would  have  fastened,  also, 
as  where  one  whale  is  fast  the  school  will  hang  around 
generally,  giving  each  boat  a  chance,  and  we  should  have 
filled  up  the  balance  of  our  casks.  The  loss  of  these  whales 
put  Captain  Turner,  officers  and  crew  in  bad  humor, 
that  cropped  out  on  every  occasion.  What  made  it  worse, 
we  did  not  raise  another  school  of  sperm-whales,  not 
even  a  single  one,  although  lookouts  were  at  both  fore 
and  main  mastheads.  Nothing  more  than  a  few  schools 
of  blackfish  were  sighted,  which  we  lowered  for,  and 
took  enough  oil  to  give  us  some  twenty  barrels,  at  the 
expense  of  a  stove  boat.  These  blackfish  are  lively 
fellows,  and  sometimes  give  a  lot  of  trouble.  They  are 
apt  to  breach  out  of  water  over  a  boat,  and  will  run  one 
for  a  short  time  at  a  lively  gait.  They  yield,  if  in  good 


72  OCEAN    LIFE 

condition,  from  three  to  five  barrels  of  oil,  according  to 
size,  and,  unless  whales  are  around,  are  always  taken, 
as  the  oil  brings  a  good  price. 

Thus  two  weeks  passed,  and  no  whales,  while  gloom 
hung  o'er  the  ship,  and  life  on  the  "  Samuel  Robertson  " 
was  anything  but  "  one  glad  sweet  song." 

About  this  time,  it  was  discovered  that  our  fore  top- 
mast was  badly  sprung,  and  as  our  water  casks  needed 
filling,  Captain  Turner  decided  to  call  in  at  Papetee, 
Otaheite,  get  a  spar  for  the  carpenter  to  make  into  a 
fore  topmast,  and  fill  water.  The  ship,  being  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  island,  was  headed  for  the  port,  and 
the  following  morning  was  off  the  reef  with  the  town  in 
sight,  the  hills  and  mountains  of  Otaheite  showing  up 
grandly  in  the  morning  light  and  looking,  now,  so  familiar 
to  me.  Passing  through  the  passage  in  the  reef,  we  came 
to  anchor  off  the  town,  with  its  white  beach,  cocoa  palms 
waving,  huts  and  houses  peeping  out  from  the  orange 
groves,  everything  looking  as  I  left  it  a  few  months  before. 

Captain  Turner  was  afraid  of  desertion,  and  orders 
were  given  that  no  liberty  on  shore  would  be  allowed. 
A  picked  boat's  crew  to  carry  Captain  Turner  back  and 
forth  were  chosen,  I  being  so  fortunate  as  to  be  one  of 
the  number.  We  took  him  ashore  each  morning,  returning 
at  noon;  again  after  dinner,  remaining  until  nightfall, 
then  returning  on  board  for  the  night. 

Native  canoes  were  allowed  alongside  during  the  day, 
while  natives,  male  and  female,  swarmed  over  the  ship, 
trading  with  the  officers  and  crew,  but  when  night  fell 
they  were  ordered  off. 

On  the  third  morning  after  our  arrival,  my  chum, 
Jim  Foote  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  "  turned  up  missing," 
having  deserted  during  the  night  in  some  way,  probably 
by  one  of  the  canoes,  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  officers. 


WHALING    IN    '48.  — AGAIN    TAHITI     73 

This  desertion  very  much  incensed  Captain  Turner,  and 
a  double  watch  was  ordered,  the  officers  succeeding  each 
other  in  turn. 

I  had  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  run  away  if  opportunity 
offered,  but  not  until  the  last  night  did  I  see  a  chance. 
The  port  regulations  were  very  strict,  no  sailors  or  officers 
of  any  ship  being  allowed  on  shore  after  gun-fire  at  eight 
o'clock  at  night,  without  a  special  permit.  Any  one 
caught  between  that  hour  and  gun-fire  at  3  A.  M.  was 
picked  up  and  locked  in  the  calaboose.  The  native  police 
(kikos)  were  on  the  alert  for  Jack,  as  it  meant  a  reward. 
The  beach  was  patrolled  by  French  soldiers  until  the 
morning  gun.  All  this  made  it  pretty  difficult  to  escape, 
but  one  thing  was  in  my  favor.  I  had  picked  up  the 
language,  during  my  former  visit  here,  and  in  Honolulu, 
and  was  able  to  talk  Kanaka  like  a  native. 

The  last  day  of  the  ship's  stay  was  spent  on  shore  by 
the  boat's  crew,  and  about  dark,  Captain  Turner,  having 
finished  his  business,  came  down  to  go  on  board.  It  was 
now  about  8  P.  M.  ;  all  the  canoes  had  left  the  ship,  having 
been  ordered  off,  save  one  which  was  lying  under  the 
fore  channels,  the  owner,  a  big  Kanaka,  with  his  little 
whyenee  (girl),  being  down  in  the  boat-steerers'  quarters, 
trading  with  them.  Seeing  the  canoe,  a  thought  that  I 
might  get  ashore  in  her  flashed  across  my  mind,  and 
slipping  into  the  foVsle,  I  pulled  on  an  extra  shirt, 
and  returning,  stood  by  the  rail  awaiting  his  coming. 
As  he  passed  me  I  asked  in  low  tones  if  he  would  take  me 
ashore,  and  quickly  comprehending  the  situation,  he 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  Slipping  through  the  open 
port-hole  and  grasping  a  rope  hanging  over  the  side,  I 
slid  down  into  the  canoe,  lying  flat  in  the  bottom,  and 
Was  followed  in  a  moment  by  the  whyenee  and  himself. 
Casting  off,  and  seizing  his  paddle,  a  few  vigorous  strokes 


74  OCEAN    LIFE 

set  him  clear  from  the  ship,  and  although  the  officers  were 
watching  as  well  as  they  could  see  in  the  gathering  dark- 
ness, I  was  unobserved,  and  knew  that  I  should  not  be 
missed  until  morning.  Passing  the  guard-boat  rowing 
about  in  the  harbor,  which  came  close  to  us,  the  guard 
speaking  to  the  Kanaka,  but  failing  to  see  me,  we  ran 
alongside  some  boats  moored  a  stone's  throw  from  the 
beach.  The  Kanaka  having  told  me,  on  my  way  in,  that 
I  must  slip  into  one  of  these  boats  and  remain  until  he 
came  for  me,  I  acted  on  his  instructions,  and  rolled  over 
into  a  small  rowboat  and  lay  down  to  await  his  coming, 
and  having  dropped  asleep,  was  awakened  by  a  rubbing 
along  the  boat's  side.  Looking  up,  I  saw  my  Kanaka 
standing  in  his  canoe  signing  for  silence  and  for  me  to 
get  in. 

A  few  strokes  sent  us  to  the  beach.  Leaving  the  boat 
drawn  up  a  little,  we  crawled  on  our  hands  and  knees, 
the  native  leading,  up  past  the  sentry,  who  was  sitting 
on  the  beach,  with  his  musket  beside  him,  sound  asleep. 
Having  got  a  short  distance  past  him,  we  arose  to  our 
feet,  continuing  on  until  we  came  to  several  huts,  one  of 
which,  the  roof  partly  off,  was  in  a  dilapidated  condition, 
and  nearly  filled  with  leaves  fallen  from  the  grove  in 
which  it  stood.  Into  this  shelter  I  crept,  and  covered 
myself  with  the  leaves,  the  Kanaka  telling  me  he  would 
come  after  gun-fire,  about  3  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Promptly  on  time  he  made  his  appearance,  and,  taking 
the  lead  and  telling  me  to  follow,  he  struck  into  a  path 
leading  to  the  hills.  Two  hours'  brisk  travel  brought  us 
to  an  elevation,  where  we  could  look  over  the  town, 
harbor,  and  reef.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  were 
spread  the  shining  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific.  The  view 
at  this  elevation  was  magnificent.  Turning  in  from  the 
path  through  a  thicket  of  guava  bushes,  we  emerged  into 


WHALING    IN    '48.  — AGAIN    TAHITI     75 

a  beautiful  grove  of  orange  and  other  trees.  Here  he 
told  me  to  stop,  and  he  would  go  down  and  bring  me  up 
some  food. 

As  there  was  an  abundance  of  fruit  around,  and  it  was 
not  at  all  likely  that  I  should  remain  long,  this  movement 
of  his  appeared  singular,  and  the  thought  came  to  my 
mind  that  when  he  returned  he  would  not  be  alone. 
No  doubt  a  small  reward  would  be  offered  for  me,  and, 
having  hidden,  he  would  know  where  to  find  me.  In 
short,  I  felt  that  he  was  going  to  betray  me,  and  give  me 
up  for  the  reward,  and  acting  on  this  belief,  I  went  a  short 
distance  and  climbed  a  tree  having  a  very  dense  foliage, 
making  openings  through  the  leaves  where  I  could  com- 
mand a  view  of  the  path  leading  to  the  grove,  as  well  as 
one  looking  over  it.  I  then  settled  back,  and  awaited 
events. 

Two  hours  passed,  when,  hearing  voices,  I  glanced 
through  the  opening,  and  saw  my  Kanaka,  accompanied 
by  two  French  soldiers,  coming  up  the  path.  Leaving 
them  outside,  he  entered  alone,  and  not  seeing  me, 
called  softly,  but  receiving  no  response,  finally  called 
them  in.  Beating  the  bushes,  they  hunted  everywhere, 
but  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  had  vacated 
my  quarters-,  for  some  reason,  and  giving  up  the  search, 
returned  to  town. 

After  becoming  satisfied  that  they  had  gone  for  good, 
I  descended  from  the  tree,  and  struck  into  another 
path  that  brought  me  out  on  the  seaward  side  of  Point 
Venus.  Here,  hidden  in  the  bushes,  I  could  see  the  ship 
lying  outside  the  reef,  with  her  main  topsail  aback, 
which  meant  that  Captain  Turner  was  still  on  shore, 
waiting  for  me  to  be  brought  to  the  boat  and  taken  on 
board,  and  I  inwardly  chuckled  to  think  that  the 
"  Samuel  Robertson  "  would  not  have  me  this  time! 


76  OCEAN   LIFE 

At  last  the  boat  went  on  board,  and  the  ship  filled 
away.  I  watched  her  until  she  was  hull  down,  and  then, 
feeling  that  the  chances  were  very  small  that  she  would 
return,  I  left  my  hiding-place  and  walked  boldly  into  the 
town,  and  turning  into  the  American  consul's  store,  I 
accosted  the  captain  of  the  barque  "  George,"  of  Stoning- 
ton,  Conn.,  U.  S.  A.,  a  whaler,  telling  him,  frankly,  I 
had  deserted  from  the  ship  "  Samuel  Robertson,"  and 
asking  if  he  would  ship  me. 

After  being  badgered  awhile,  I  signed  the  articles  for 
ten  dollars  a  month,  and  to  help  take  oil  if  we  saw  whales, 
instead  of  a  regular  lay,  as  the  barque  was  bound  home 
around  the  Cape,  but  would  lower  for  whales  if  we  saw 
any. 

The  "  George "  had  been  out  forty-seven  months, 
having  had  very  poor  luck,  only  about  twelve  hundred 
barrels  of  oil,  and  most  of  that  a  poor  quality  taken  in 
Magdalena  Bay,  California.  She  was  short-handed,  only 
four  of  her  original  ship's  company  that  left  home  remain- 
ing by  her. 

Having  received  my  advance  ($10),  I  started  for  the 
beach,  but  had  not  proceeded  far  when  I  was  arrested  as 
a  runaway  from  the  "  Samuel  Robertson,"  so,  instead  of 
landing  on  the  "  George  "  in  a  half-hour,  I  found  myself 
an  inmate  of  the  calaboose  in  company  with  my  chum 
Jim  Foote,  who  was  picked  up  an  hour  before. 

The  following  morning  Captain  George  Taber,  finding 
I  had  not  gone  on  board,  came  to  look  me  up.  This  was 
fortunate  for  Jim,  as  the  captain  not  only  obtained  my 
release,  but  his  also,  shipping  him  as  one  of  the  crew  of 
the  "  George."  We  had  taken  our  departure  from  duress 
almost  famished,  I  having  had  nothing  but  fruit  for  two 
days  and  Jim  for  about  a  week.  So  we  made  a  line  for  a 
restaurant  just  off  the  beach  kept  by  a  Frenchman  and 


WHALING    IN    '48.  —  AGAIN    TAHITI     77 

largely  patronized  by  the  officers  of  the  men-of-war 
and  captains  of  vessels  in  port. 

With  my  month's  advance  in  my  pocket,  we  entered 
boldly,  signifying  to  the  garpon  in  Kanaka,  —  not  being 
well  up  in  French,  —  that  we  wished  dinner  for  two. 
Our  appearance  was  against  us,  and  the  gargon  viewed 
us  with  suspicion,  but  the  jingle  of  the  silver  dollars  set 
everything  right,  —  and  such  a  dinner!  Cleaning  off 
every  dish  that  was  brought  on,  we  finished  two  bottles 
of  wine  with  our  repast,  then  lay  back  in  our  chairs, 
calling  for  the  best  cigars,  and  finally,  as  the  day  was 
waning,  the  bill.  It  was  brought.  Passing  over  the 
items,  we  glanced  at  the  sum  total,  forty-five  francs,  — 
my  whole  month's  advance,  with  the  exception  of  five 
francs,  that  we  magnanimously  handed  the  waiter,  who 
bowed  us  out,  salaaming  to  the  floor,  and  we  went  on 
board  without  a  cent,  but  full  and  happy. 

The  memory  of  that  dinner  lingered  with  us  many 
weeks. 

With  the  exception  of  one  whale,  we  took  no  more  oil. 
We  were  very  short-provisioned,  and  the  desire  seemed 
to  be  more  to  get  home  than  to  see  whales.  We  made  a 
favorable  run  around  Cape  Horn  and  were  again  in  the 
south  Atlantic.  Our  provisions  were  getting  very  short 
indeed,  when  we  were  fortunate  in  speaking  the  ship 
"  Martha  "  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  also  a  whaler,  and  pro- 
curing from  her  two  casks  of  bread,  with  other  stores, 
but  no  tobacco.  We  were  all  out  of  tobacco,  and  on  our 
arrival  at  Stonington  had  been  without  over  a  month, 
and  every  user  of  the  weed  knows  what  that  means. 
We  had  procured  a  plug  for  each  man  from  a  schooner, 
the  day  before  we  made  port,  and  from  that  time  all 
hands  were  chewing  away  for  dear  life. 

Taking  a  pilot,  we  entered  the  port  of  Stonington, 


78  OCEAN   LIFE 

when  the  following  day  all  who  had  shipped  in  the  Islands 
were  paid  off,  myself  among  the  number.  Paying  no  heed 
to  flattering  inducements  held  out  to  me  to  proceed  to 
New  Bedford  and  join  the  ship  "  Betsey  Williams,"  just 
fitting  out  for  a  three  years'  cruise  in  the  Pacific  —  having 
had  all  I  wanted  of  whaling  —  I  took  the  train  for  Bos- 
ton, where  I  joined  the  barque  "  Tiberias,"  Captain  Elisha 
Foster,  bound  for  San  Francisco  and  the  gold  fields. 
This  was  in  the  rush  of  '49. 

Our  crew  was  shipped  for  $13  advance,  and  $2  per 
month;  it  being  stipulated  in  the  articles  that  the  crew 
should  discharge  the  cargo  in  San  Francisco,  at  the  going 
rate  of  wages  at  that  port. 


CHAPTER   IX 
1849  -  1850 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  —  ASTORIA.  —  PORTLAND.  —  GENUINE 

RED  MEN 

SAILING  from  Boston  in  November,  1849,  we  experi- 
enced a  fine  run  off  the  coast.  The  westerly  winds  pre- 
vailing were  not  long  in  running  our  easting  down,  and 
we  could  head  south  for  the  trade  winds. 

Our  crew  numbered  fourteen  for'ard,  which,  with 
captain  and  after  guard,  made  a  total  of  twenty,  all  told. 
Ten  days  out  insanity  developed  in  John  Williston,  one 
of  the  crew,  which  caused  no  end  of  trouble. 

A  sailor  from  Gay  Head,  Martha's  Vineyard,  of  the 
name  of  Charles,  had  been  a  shipmate  of  John's,  and 
knew  of  these  attacks,  but  had  not  mentioned  it.  The 
discovery  was  made  thus:  John  had  been  sick,  and 
confined  to  his  berth  two  days.  Coming  from  the  wheel 
the  second  day,  I  passed  the  members  of  the  watch  getting 
their  supper  on  deck,  and  descended  the  fo'c'sle  ladder 
to  get  my  pot,  pan  and  spoon  in  order  to  join  them. 
Securing  these,  I  was  about  mounting  the  steps,  when 
there  came  from,  John's  bunk  one  of  the  most  unearthly 
groans  I  ever  heard.  Thinking  he  must  be  in  great  pain, 
I  stepped  to  the  berth,  and  asked  him  how  he  felt.  Receiv- 
ing no  reply,  I  placed  my  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  when 
like  a  flash  he  turned  upon  me  with  a  demoniacal  glare 

79 


80  OCEAN    LIFE 

in  his  eyes.  His  look  was  enough  to  freeze  one's  blood 
and  in  an  instant  I  realized  I  was  alone  with  a  powerful 
maniac,  endowed  with  the  full  use  of  all  his  limbs,  and 
possessing  at  least  five  times  his  natural  strength.  I 
turned  to  escape  by  the  companionway,  but  with  a  roar 
like  a  wild  beast  he  sprang  to  the  fo'c'sle  deck,  making 
for  me  ere  I  could  reach  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  The  big 
oak  bitts  came  through  the  centre  of  the  fo'c'sle,  and 
around  these  I  sprang,  followed  by  John,  who  was  as 
nimble  as  a  cat.  Finally,  on  the  fourth  or  fifth  round, 
he  caught  his  foot  in  the  becket  of  the  bread-barge  and 
fell.  I  reached  the  companion  ladder  with  a  bound, 
and  was  part  ways  up,  when  he  grasped  my  foot,  but  a 
vigorous  kick  in  the  head  with  the  other  foot  caused  him 
to  loosen  his  hold  and  fall  back  into  the  fo'c'sle,  where, 
seizing  the  barge  in  one  hand,  he  started  in,  smashing 
everything  in  general.  At  that  moment  Charles,  his 
former  shipmate,  came  from  the  wheel,  and  looking  down, 
exclaimed: 

"  My  God!  John's  got  his  fits  again!  "  adding,  "  He 
must  be  secured.  He'll  kill  all  hands  if  he  gets  out  of 
the  fo'c'sle." 

As  only  one  man  could  go  down  at  a  time,  it  was 
apparent  that  the  first  one  would  have  anything  but  a 
picnic  before  the  others  could  assist  him,  but  something 
must  be  done,  for  John  was  creating  havoc  among  the 
chests  and  berths,  and  the  carpenter,  a  big  man,  volun- 
teered. Springing  into  the  fo'c'sle,  he  grappled  the 
madman,  and  for  a  couple  of  minutes  poor  "  Chips  " 
was  knocked  around  like  a  shuttlecock,  and  until  we 
could  get  down  and  overpower  him  by  force  of  numbers. 
Then,  having  bound  him  so  he  could  do  no  damage,  we 
let  him  lie  while  Charles  enlightened  us.  It  seems  that 
these  attacks  would  come  on  daily  for  several  weeks, 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  — ASTORIA  81 

then  every  other  day,  finally  every  third  day  for  ten  days 
or  a  fortnight,  and  then  pass  away  entirely.  He  would 
have  no  more  unless  some  fit  of  passion,  or  other  reason, 
caused  a  return.  The  worst  feature  was  that  when  he 
felt  them  coming  on  he  would  conceal  the  fact,  and 
before  we  were  aware  of  it,  he  would  be  a  raving  maniac, 
with  a  desire  to  kill  some  one,  so  it  became  necessary  to 
keep  a  very  careful  watch  upon  him,  so  as  to  have  him 
confined  in  time  in  a  strait-jacket  and  f rapped  down 
on  a  four-inch  plank,  some  seven  feet  long,  with  a  row  of 
holes  bored  on  each  side,  through  which  ratline  stuff 
was  passed,  making  a  complete  lacework  over  him. 
Even  bound  thus,  he  would  grip  with  his  toes  anything 
coming  in  contact  with  his  feet,  while  a  rope  swung  by 
his  face  he  would  snap  with  his  teeth  in  the  most  vicious 
manner.  It  was  much  feared  he  would  have  an  attack  at 
night,  and  get  hold  of  a  hand-spike  or  knife,  in  which 
case  he  would  probably  have  had  to  be  shot.  When  he 
came  out  of  these  attacks,  he  would  be  as  weak  and  almost 
as  helpless  as  a  kitten  for  about  two  hours,  after  which 
he  would  recover  his  strength,  and  be  as  well  as  any 
one  until  the  attacks  came  on  again.  They  would  last  from 
one  to  two  hours.  Before  we  reached  Cape  Horn  the  fits 
passed  away  entirely,  but  they  cost  us  many  a  scare, 
and  kept  all  hands  on  the  qui  vive  for  nearly  two  months. 

Just  before  sailing  from  Boston  a  week  of  very  severe 
cold  weather  was  experienced,  and  on  breaking  out  stores 
when  we  got  part  ways  to  the  equator,  it  was  found  that 
twenty-five  barrels  of  potatoes  had  to  be  thrown  over- 
board, having  been  frozen  while  being  taken  on  board. 
It  was  a  keen  loss,  as  we  had  counted  on  potatoes  for  a 
long  time. 

On  the  equator  we  spoke  an  English  ship  bound  from 
Sydney,  N.  S.  W.,  to  London,  and  it  being  nearly  calm, 


82  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  captains  visited  each  other,  and  some  of  the  passengers 
of  the  Englishman  wishing  to  go  to  California,  Captain 
Foster  got  two  men  from  her.  They  were  good,  able 
seamen,  and  on  John's  account  we  were  glad  to  have 
them.  We  made  a  good  run  to  Cape  Horn,  with  fifteen 
days  of  stormy  gales  off  the  Cape,  and  we  were  again  in 
the  south  Pacific. 

Passing  the  belt  of  S.  E.  and  N.  E.  trades,  nothing  of 
note  occurred  until  we  arrived  off  the  heads  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Sighting  the  Farralones,  a  cluster  of  small,  rocky 
islands,  in  the  morning,  we  took  a  pilot  on  board,  and 
entering  the  Golden  Gate,  we  passed  up  the  bay,  coming 
to  an  anchor  among  a  fleet  of  shipping  of  all  nationalities, 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  days  from  Boston. 

Glorious  California!  El  Dorado  of  the  Pacific  slope! 
What  successes,  struggles  and  hardships  have  you  wit- 
nessed in  the  mad  rush  for  gold  during  the  early  days, 
after  the  discovery  of  the  vast  amount  of  mineral  wealth 
within  thy  borders  had  been  made  known  to  the  world, 
and  the  Golden  Gate  of  thy  magnificent  bay  was  opened 
wide  to  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor  alike,  sturdy  adven- 
turers from  every  land,  bidding  them  welcome  to  a 
participation  in  the  treasures  to  be  harvested  from  thy 
rivers,  streams,  and  mountains! 

Such  a  gathering  could  only  be  found  in  San  Francisco 
during  these  early  days  of  '49  and  '50.  One  met  very 
few  old  men  in  the  city  streets,  but  young  to  middle-aged, 
full  of  life,  brawn  and  muscle,  eager,  and  all  dominated 
by  one  thought,  in  the  wild  headlong  scramble  for  wealth: 
Gold!  Gold!  Gold! 

Although  our  crew  had  shipped  to  discharge  the  cargo, 
all  hands  except  the  captain  and  mate  went  ashore  the 
following  morning,  landing  at  Clark's  Point. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  IN    1849 


BARQUE 


CORNELIA    L.    BEVAN." 

[See  page  94 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  — ASTORIA  83 

Wending  my  way  up  the  hill,  I  was  so  fortunate  as 
to  meet  a  "  Marbleheader  "  I  knew  well,  who,  after  a 
hearty  handshake,  informed  me  that  I  would  find  a 
restaurant  just  over  the  hill  kept  by  a  townsman, 
Mr.  Benjamin  Dixey,  adding,  "  You  will  find  all  the 
'  Marbleheaders  '  there,  and  get  all  the  news." 

For  a  few  moments  after  I  had  entered  the  restaurant 
it  seemed  as  if  I  had  struck  the  old  town  again.  Here 
I  obtained  all  the  news  about  the  mines,  who  had  gone, 
cost  of  outfit,  what  townsmen  were  in  port,  and  general 
information  upon  other  matters,  then  I  started  for  the 
ship  to  get  my  sea  chest,  which  had  been  left  on  board. 
Half  way  down  the  hill  by  the  roadside  stood  a  shanty 
built  of  rough  boards  and  canvas,  with  a  sign  over  the 
door  bearing  the  name  of  one  of  the  swell  hotels  of  New 
York  City,  "  Delmonico's." 

Stopping  a  moment  to  glance  inside,  I  noticed  a  young 
man  in  a  red  shirt,  standing  in  the  doorway,  looking 
intently  at  me. 

"  Why,  Jack!  "  he  suddenly  burst  out  with,  "  where 
in  thunder  did  you  spring  from?  " 

It  dawned  upon  me  in  a  moment,  it  was  my  old  school- 
mate and  chum,  Ambrose  Allen,  whom  I  had  not  seen 
since  my  first  voyage. 

Mutual  congratulations  and  comparing  of  notes  occu- 
pied the  next  hour,  at  the  end  of  which  it  was  agreed 
that  I  should  stop  there,  at  the  shanty,  —  hotel,  I  mean. 
The  terms  were  $50  per  week,  plenty  to  eat  if  one  was  not 
too  fastidious,  and  a  good  bunk  to  sleep  in;  what  more 
would  one  wish?  Of  course  the  bar  made  it  a  little  noisy, 
and  a  free  fight,  now  and  then,  made  everything  exciting 
and  lively.  Although  about  every  man  carried  a  revolver, 
or  some  weapon,  they  were  seldom  resorted  to.  Each 
man  knew  his  opponent  was  armed,  and  the  drawing  of 


84  OCEAN   LIFE 

a  knife  or  gun  was  the  signal  for  a  battle  to  the  death, 
or  at  least  severe  wounding.  Men  would  hesitate  before 
being  killed  or  perhaps  permanently  disabled  for  any 
small  quarrel,  and  generally  settled  the  matter  with  fists. 

My  chum  said  if  I  did  not  find  anything  to  do  in  a  few 
days,  he  would  speak  to  Capt.  William  Stacey,  his  pro- 
spective father-in-law,  and  get  me  work  on  board  his 
ehip  as  cook  at  $200  per  month,  until  we  should  make 
up  our  minds  what  we  would  do,  whether  to  go  to  the 
inines  or  not. 

I  worked  on  shore  at  odd  jobs  for  a  week,  but  not 
paving  money  to  purchase  an  outfit,  I  abandoned  the 
idea  of  gold  digging.  My  chum  got  his  discharge,  his  pay 
amounting  to  quite  a  sum,  and  we  fell  in  with  a  Marble- 
head  captain  (Captain  Hector  Dixey),  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  small  schooner  named  "  Eagle,"  between  80 
and  90  tons  burthen,  that  had  come  out  in  '49  during  the 
excitement  and  was  then  owned  by  Dunbar  &  Co.,  mer- 
chants in  San  Francisco.  She  was  bound  to  Portland, 
Oregon,  with  freight  and  passengers,  who  were  going  to 
take  up  land  offered  by  the  United  States  government. 
To  encourage  settlers  the  government  was  for  a  short 
time  giving  out  grants  of  320  acres  of  land  to  one  person, 
or  if  two,  640  acres,  as  a  homestead  to  all  who  would  settle 
on  it  and  improve  the  land.  A  great  many  from  San 
Francisco  availed  themselves  of  this  offer.  Picking  up 
another  "  Marbleheader  "  (William  Swasey),  who  acted 
in  the  capacity  of  mate,  and  four  others  whose  acquaint- 
ance we  had  made,  one  acting  as  cook,  we  shipped  for 
a  trip  to  Portland,  wages  $100  per  month.  Sailors  were 
hard  to  get,  at  this  time,  even  for  short  trips,  and  wages 
ran  from  $100  to  $150  per  month,  high  wages  for  Jack, 
but  this  was  more  than  balanced  by  the  high  cost  of 
everything  on  shore.  A  sailor,  or  any  one  who  could  turn 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  — ASTORIA  85 

his  hand  to  anything  that  came  along,  although  not  an 
expert,  could  always  command  high  pay;  while  on  ship- 
board, food  costing  nothing,  $100  a  month  was  very  good. 
Jack  in  San  Francisco,  in  these  days,  was  a  very  inde- 
pendent character,  who  dictated  his  own  terms. 

Sailing  from  the  bay,  we  encountered  head  winds  and 
fogs,  and  two  weeks  passed  before  we  arrived  off  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.  We  crossed  the  bar  a  little 
after  noon,  and  arrived  at  Astoria,  fifteen  miles  inside, 
before  sunset. 

Astoria,  named  for  John  Jacob  Astor,  of  New  York, 
had  been  until  recently  the  trading  post  of  the  old  Hud- 
son Bay  Fur  Company,  which  had  removed  to  Vancouver's 
Island.  It  contained  one  little  frame  house,  a  few  log 
huts,  and  the  fort  of  the  old  trading  company. 

The  forest  extended  to  the  beach.  Save  a  few  whites, 
the  inhabitants  were  Indians,  genuine  red  men  of  the 
forest,  but  fast  disappearing  before  the  onward  march  of 
civilization. 

"  Where  swam  the  squaw's  light  birch  canoe, 
The  steamer  smokes  and  raves, 
While  city  lots  are  staked  and  sold, 
Above  old  Indian  graves." 

Sickness,  diseases  of  the  white  man  that  they  knew 
not  how  to  treat,  was  decimating  their  numbers,  and 
our  pilot  pointed  out  a  neck  of  land  on  which  he  said  there 
were  over  a  thousand  Indians  only  a  year  before,  but 
now,  not  one,  almost  all  having  been  swept  off  by  small- 
pox and  other  forms  of  disease,  while  those  who  had  not 
died  had  moved  away  from  the  stricken  spot. 

Sailing  up  the  Columbia,  we  passed  Coffin  Rock  on 
the  right.  This  was  a  large,  flat  rock  or  small  island, 
which  was  used  as  a  burial  place  for  the  Indians.  It  was 


86  OCEAN   LIFE 

covered  with  canoes,  each  containing  the  corpse  of  an 
Indian,  with  his  implements  of  war,  bow,  arrows,  pot- 
tery, etc.  It  had  been  burnt  off  by  the  whites,  and  the 
pilot  said  would  be  again,  when  the  Indians  would  no 
doubt  abandon  it  as  a  place  for  burial. 

A  singular  rock  stood  near  the  middle  of  the  river, 
rising  like  a  shaft  from  the  bed  of  the  stream  to  a  height 
of  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  surface,  perpendicular  on 
all  sides,  with  shrubs  growing  on  the  top.  The  scenery 
was  magnificent.  The  river  banks,  rising  from  the  water's 
edge  hundreds  of  feet  in  height,  were  crowned  with  giant 
pines,  extending  heavenward  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
or  more,  while  each  turn  and  bend  of  the  river  opened  up 
new  beauties,  which  at  night,  under  a  full  moon,  formed 
a  picture  long  to  be  remembered. 

Entering  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette,  we  arrived  at 
Portland  City,  making  fast  under  the  bank. 

Portland,  at  this  time,  was  a  city  only  in  name.  The 
site  was  laid  out,  but  the  virgin  forests  extended  nearly 
to  the  river's  banks,  which  were  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
above  the  stream.  The  trees  had  been  felled,  and  the 
ground  cleared  for  five  or  six  hundred  yards  back  from 
the  river's  bank,  but  the  stumps  were  standing  in  every 
direction.  There  were  a  dozen  or  more  log  houses,  no 
streets,  and  one  small  frame  building  only,  which  served 
as  a  general  store  for  whites  and  Indians. 

After  landing  passengers  and  freight,  the  fo'c'sle  hands 
became  restless,  and  having  had  a  difference  with  Mr. 
Swasey,  the  mate,  we  left  in  a  body,  rented  a  log  house, 
and  settled  down  to  enjoy  life  on  shore.  I  employed,  to 
cook  for  us,  the  cook  of  a  barque  who  had  been  left  on 
shore  sick  but  had  now  recovered.  We  lacked  nothing 
in  the  food  line,  for  we  had  laid  in  a  liberal  stock  of  pro- 
visions at  the  store;  also  guns  and  ammunition,  for  the 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  — ASTORIA  87 

river  was  alive  with  game,  —  ducks  and  geese,  —  and  its 
waters  were  teeming  with  fish,  the  finest  salmon  being  daily 
speared  by  the  Indians  at  the  falls  just  above  the  city. 

Here  we  remained,  leading  a  sort  of  nomad  life,  for 
a  month,  until,  tiring  of  its  monotony,  we  shipped  on  the 
barque  "  Susan  Drew,"  Captain  Drew,  for  "  Frisco. " 

No  men  being  obtainable  in  the  port  for  the  voyage, 
we  asked  and  received  two  hundred  dollars  per  month, 
with  the  contract  to  discharge  the  cargo  at  the  same 
wages. 

A  short,  pleasant  run  brought  us  again  to  port  in  San 
Francisco,  where  two  weeks  were  used  up  in  discharging 
the  cargo  of  round  timber,  after  which  we  took  our  dis- 
charge from  the  vessel. 

Some  two  months  were  spent  in  port,  most  of  the  time 
working  on  board  ships  in  the  harbor  at  big  pay. 

September  9,  1850,  California  was  admitted  into  the 
Union,  the  31st  State.  It  was  a  gala  day,  and  was  cele- 
brated with  all  the  eclat  that  could  be  contributed  by 
brass  bands,  parades,  burning  of  powder,  and  firing  of 
cannon,  with  illuminations  and  fireworks  at  night.  Every 
one  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion  and  the  whole 
affair  was  voted  a  grand  success. 

We  were  now  pretty  well  in  funds,  and  as  everything 
was  so  high  in  San  Francisco,  it  was  agreed  upon  by  the 
six  of  us  to  take  a  run  to  Valparaiso,  S.  A.,  have  a  general 
good  time,  as  we  looked  upon  it  in  those  days,  then  return 
to  San  Francisco  and  make  a  lot  more  money. 

Looking  back  through  the  vista  of  years,  I  can  now 
see  how  foolish  and  improvident  was  the  course  we  were 
pursuing,  but  I  can  only  say  that  we  were  like  thousands 
of  other  sailors,  living  only  for  the  day  and  hour,  with  no 
thought  of  the  morrow,  or  of  laying  up  our  earnings 
against  the  time  of  need. 


88  OCEAN   LIFE 

Shipping  on  the  barque  "  Zingari,"  of  Salem,  Mass., 
Captain  Eaton,  we  dropped  down  the  bay,  and  crossed 
the  bar,  bidding  adieu  to  the  Golden  Gate,  for  a  few 
months,  as  we  then  supposed,  I  little  dreaming  it  would 
be  ten  or  twelve  years  before  I  again  passed  its  portals, 
and  then  as  captain  of  a  fine  ship. 

Discharging  our  pilot,  we  shaped  our  course  south. 


CHAPTER   X 
1850  -  1851 

CHILE  AND  PERU.  —  ITALY.  —  COTTON  -  SCREWING  AND 


AFTER  a  pleasant  run  of  six  weeks  with  nothing  of 
note  occurring,  we  entered  the  spacious  harbor  of  Val- 
paraiso, a  fine  bay,  but  open  to  the  "  northers,"  which 
at  times  blow  with  great  violence,  and  cause  a  heavy 
sea,  or  ground-swell,  making  communication  between 
the  ship  and  shore  difficult,  and  at  times  dangerous. 
The  holding  ground  is  good,  however,  and  unless  a  ship 
breaks  from  her  anchorage,  disasters  seldom  occur. 

The  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  hills,  from  the 
bay,  is  very  fine. 

As  we  had  only  shipped  for  the  run  to  Valparaiso,  we 
were  discharged  the  following  day,  taking  up  our  quarters 
at  a  boarding-house  bearing  the  cognomen  of  "  The  Old 
House  at  Home,"  at  the  foot  of  the  "  Main  Top  Hill," 
so  called.  Here  we  remained  for  several  weeks,  until, 
our  funds  getting  low,  we  sought  an  opportunity  of 
returning  to  California,  but  found  this  no  easy  matter. 

We  worked  on  board  ships  in  the  bay  for  a  month,  and 
finding  no  chance  of  returning  to  San  Francisco,  we 
shipped  on  a  large  centreboard  schooner,  called  the 
"  Sarah,"  flying  the  Chilian  flag,  for  a  trip  down  the 
coast  and  return  to  Valparaiso.  The  cargo  consisted  of 

89 


90  OCEAN    LIFE 

provisions  and  mining  supplies  for  the  ports  of  Coquimbo, 
Huasco,  Copiapo,  Cobija,  Chile,  and  Iquiqui  and  Arica  in 
Peru. 

We  landed  our  cargo  on  the  beach  with  boats,  most 
of  the  ports  being  nothing  but  an  open  roadstead.  The 
surf  was  high,  at  times,  rendering  landing  with  an  open 
boat  a  ticklish  and  frequently  a  dangerous  undertaking, 
but  with  great  care  our  cargo  was  all  gotten  on  shore 
safely. 

On  the  eastern  side  rain  is  abundant,  but  along  this 
part  of  the  coast  rain  never  falls;  the  high  peaks  of  the 
Andes  forming  a  watershed  that  draws  every  drop  of 
moisture  from  the  clouds  passing  over.  There  are  heavy 
dews  at  night.  There  is  no  vegetation,  no  drinking-water, 
except  that  distilled  from  the  salt  water  at  the  works 
that  supply  the  inhabitants.  The  town  wore  a  dry  and 
arid  look.  Earthquakes  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 
We  experienced  many  shocks  while  at  Valparaiso,  some 
very  severe,  shaking  down  a  number  of  dwellings,  but 
we  became  so  accustomed  to  them  that  they  occasioned 
no  alarm  unless  of  very  unusual  severity. 

We  returned  to  Valparaiso,  after  five  weeks  absence, 
and  finding  no  opportunity  of  going  back  to  California, 
we  shipped  on  the  barque  "  Antelope,"  Captain  Zenas 
Crosby,  bound  for  Coquimbo,  Chile,  to  load  skins  and 
pig  copper  for  New  York.  The  cargo  was  taken  on 
board  and  stowed  by  the  crew.  It  was  hard,  back- 
breaking  work,  carrying  the  big  rough  pigs  of  copper 
with  their  jagged  edges,  —  some  weighing  a  hundred 
pounds  or  more,  —  from  one  part  of  the  hold  to  another. 

It  was  not  stowed  in  a  solid  mass,  but  first  dunnage, 
consisting  of  planks,  then  a  layer  of  pigs,  —  not  close 
together,  but  a  foot  apart,  —  then  a  layer  of  bales  of 
skins  over  all,  and  on  top  of  these  another  layer  of  pigs, 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  91 

and  so  on,  in  alternate  layers,  until  the  lading  was  com- 
pleted. Although  it  was  a  heavy  cargo,  the  manner  of 
stowing  made  it  springy. 

Sundays  we  had  liberty,  one  watch  at  a  time,  and 
embraced  the  opportunity  of  visiting  the  city  of  Coquimbo, 
situated  about  nine  miles  from  the  port  or  roadstead, 
and  hiring  horses  with  saddles,  for  a  dollar  each,  we  set 
out  on  the  gallop  over  a  good  road.  The  day  was  bright 
with  sunshine,  a  fine  brisk  breeze  blowing,  an  ideal  day 
for  horseback  riding.  Being  a  fair  horseman,  I  thoroughly 
enjoyed  it,  but  several  of  my  companions  cut  but  a  sorry 
figure  on  horseback,  and  several  tumbles  were  the  conse- 
quence, but  no  serious  mishap.  Arriving  at  the  city,  we 
rode  around  awhile,  but  found  not  a  great  deal  to  interest 
us,  streets  not  over  clean,  low  flat-roofed  houses,  one  and 
two  story,  and  a  strong  odor  of  garlic  pervading  the 
atmosphere  everywhere.  We  visited  a  few  of  the  churches, 
after  which  we  purchased  some  delicious  white  grapes 
and  other  fruits,  for  luncheon,  while  our  horses  rested, 
and  again  mounting,  arrived  at  the  port  just  at  sunset, 
having  greatly  enjoyed  the  trip. 

Our  lading  completed,  all  was  made  ready  for  sea.  It 
was  now  near  midwinter  in  the  southern  hemisphere, 
and  anticipating  severe  weather  rounding  Cape  Horn, 
our  best  sails  were  bent,  and  running  gear  carefully  looked 
after.  We  sailed  from  Coquimbo  with  a  strong  northerly 
wind,  and  passed  the  latitude  of  Cape  Horn  in  ten  or 
twelve  days  from  port,  when,  taking  a  strong,  westerly 
gale,  we  scudded  past  under  a  close-reefed  main  topsail, 
and  reefed  foresail,  with  a  fearful  sea  sweeping  after, 
every  wave  having  a  most  ominous  look  as  it  rose  high 
above  the  taffrail,  but  our  good  barque  seemed  to  realize 
the  danger,  and  rose  to  each  mountain  of  water  as  light 
and  graceful  as  a  bird.  Squalls  of  snow  and  hail,  beating 


92  OCEAN    LIFE 

fiercely  upon  us,  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession, 
while  two  men  at  the  wheel  had  all  the  work  they  could 
do  to  keep  the  barque  before  it,  yet  she  was  not  a  hard- 
steering  craft. 

It  was  at  this  time  I  met  with  an  accident,  which  but 
for  a  merciful  providence  would  probably  have  ended  my 
career. 

About  four  bells,  in  the  mid-watch,  during  the  height 
of  the  gale,  the  head  of  the  main  spencer  blew  adrift, 
and  an  order  came  instantly  from  the  mate,  for  one  of 
the  watch  to  take  a  spare  gasket,  lay  aloft,  and  secure  it. 
This  was  no  easy  matter,  as  the  shrouds  were  cased  with 
sleet  and  snow,  while  the  running  gear  was  stiff  with  ice. 
The  ship  was  rolling  heavily  as  she  drove  before  the  blast, 
while  the  night  was  dark  as  Erebus,  save  momentary 
gleams  of  phosphorescent  brightness  from  the  surges  as 
they  swept  past.  Standing  near  the  main  rigging,  I 
procured  a  gasket,  and  started  aloft.  I  was  very  heavily 
dressed,  in  thick  clothing  and  monkey  jacket  with  oil- 
skins over  all,  thick  sea-boots  and  .mittens.  Opposite 
the  spencer  gaff,  just  under  the  maintop,  I  was  obliged 
to  swing  out  from  the  rigging,  grasp  the  running  gear, 
and  with  legs  wound  about  the  sail  to  smother  it.  I 
worked  with  both  hands  at  getting  the  gasket  passed. 
As  I  could  do  nothing  with  mittens  on,  I  dropped  them, 
and  during  the  sharp  heavy  rolls  I  would  cling  on  with 
my  fingers  like  fish-hooks.  Just  as  the  last  turns  were 
passed  and  the  sails  secured,  the  barque  gave  an  unusually 
heavy  roll.  My  benumbed  fingers,  stiff  with  the  cold, 
refused  to  hold  on,  and  down  I  went  by  the  run,  and  now 
my  thick  clothing  and  heavy  sea-boots  saved  me.  Strik- 
ing the  edge  of  the  pin-rail  around  the  mainmast  with 
my  heels,  and  breaking  a  piece  out,  I  shot  into  the  scupper, 
striking  my  shoulder,  but  not  my  head. 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  93 

Although  not  seriously  injured,  I  lay  there,  stunned, 
the  breath  being  about  knocked  out  of  my  body,  and 
picking  me  up,  the  watch  carried  me  into  the  cabin, 
where  I  soon  recovered  my  wind.  Captain  Crosby, 
after  an  examination,  finding  no  bones  broken,  and 
nothing  worse  than  a  severe  shaking  up,  administered  to 
me  a  stiff  glass  of  brandy,  and  I  resumed  my  watch  on 
deck,  though  feeling  the  effects  in  a  general  soreness  for 
days  after. 

Having  passed  the  Horn  and  rounded  Staten  Land, 
we  sped  on  with  favorable  gales  under  all  the  canvas 
the  "  Antelope  "  could  carry,  towards  the  belt  of  S.  E. 
trades,  and  crossing  the  equator,  and  entering  the  N.  E. 
trades,  passing  the  Windward  Islands,  Bermuda,  Cape 
Hatteras,  and  the  Gulf  Stream,  struck  soundings  on 
Yankee  land  once  more,  and  taking  a  pilot  off  Barnegat 
Light,  the  "  Antelope "  arrived  safely  at  New  York, 
without  the  loss  of  a  sail,  spar,  or  man,  eighty-two  days 
from  Coquimbo. 

We  were  paid  off  the  following  day,  and  my  chum 
Ambrose  Allen  and  I  parted  from  our  shipmates  and 
took  the  steamer  that  night  for  Newport  and  Fall  River, 
thence  by  rail  to  Boston  and  Marblehead,  where  we 
received  a  warm  welcome  from  our  friends. 

This  voyage  ended  the  seagoing  experience  of  my 
schoolmate.  His  father  wished  him  to  go  into  business 
with  him  on  shore,  so  Ambrose  abandoned  the  sea.  He 
was  a  loyal,  staunch  friend  through  life.  He  married  the 
sweetheart  of  his  boyhood  days,  a  lovely  girl,  and  when 
at  home  from  my  voyages  in  after  years,  we  spent  many 
happy  hours  at  his  house  or  at  his  store,  recalling  our 
early  experiences  in  California,  or  along  the  Pacific 
coast. 

After  a  short  stay  on  shore,  I  shipped  on   the  barque 


94  OCEAN   LIFE 

"  Kepler,"  for  a  voyage  to  the  Mediterranean,  with  a 
cargo  of  naval  stores  for  the  port  of  Spezzia,  Italy,  at 
that  time  a  naval  rendezvous  for  our  fleet  in  Mediter- 
ranean waters.  A  pleasant  run  brought  us  to  the  Strait 
of  Gibraltar,  through  which  we  passed  in  daylight,  hav- 
ing a  fine  view  of  the  Spanish  coast  with  the  island 
and  light-house  of  Tarifa,  and  the  mountains  of 
Spain,  while  on  the  south  towered  the  giant  peaks  of 
the  African  shore,  ending  with  the  high  bluff  prom- 
ontory of  Cape  Spartel,  marking  the  western  entrance 
of  the  straits,  and  Gibraltar  standing  like  a  giant 
sentinel  guarding  the  eastern  entrance.  We  sailed  past 
Malaga,  and  the  sunny  shores  of  Spain  with  its  moun- 
tains in  the  background,  past  Cape  de  Gata  and  the 
Balearic  Islands,  and  crossing  the  Gulf  of  Genoa,  entered 
the  port  of  Spezzia,  passing  between  an  island  on  our 
right  and  the  mainland,  a  narrow  channel  through  which 
a  strong  tide  ran. 

Having  discharged  our  cargo  at  the  government  dock, 
the  "  Kepler "  sailed  in  ballast  for  Palermo,  Sicily,  to 
load  fruit  for  Boston.  A  run  of  a  few  days  brought  us 
to  that  port,  and  drawing  in  under  the  high  land,  the 
strong  gusts  from  off  the  hills  obliged  us  to  take  in  our 
kites  in  a  hurry,  but  once  around  the  long  mole,  we  were 
in  a  fine  harbor  sheltered  from  all  winds. 

Off  this  port  will  be  seen  in  the  illustration  the  barque 
"Cornelia  L.  Bevan,"  owned  by  Isaac  Jeanes  of  Phila- 
delphia. It  is  copied,  by  courtesy  of  Mr.  Joseph  Y. 
Jeanes,  son  of  the  owner,  from  a  painting  made  at  Palermo, 
and  is  a  good  specimen  of  a  Baltimore  clipper  of  sixty 
years  ago.  She  was  built  in  that  city  in  1847,  for  the 
Mediterranean  trade,  although  she  did  make  a  voyage 
to  San  Francisco  and  back.  Her  dimensions  were: 
registered  tonnage,  330;  length  108  feet;  beam  25  feet, 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  95 

7  inches;  depth  of  hold  13  feet,  3  inches;  square  stern  and 
female  figurehead. 

Sicily  is  a  large  island,  with  an  area  of  nine  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  thirty-six  square  miles,  lying  off  the 
southern  and  western  end  of  Italy,  and  belonging  to 
that  government.  A  fine  view  of  Mt.  ^Etna  can  be 
obtained  from  the  harbor,  towering  high  above  the  rest 
of  the  island,  with  an  elevation  of  a  little  upwards  of  ten 
thousand  eight  hundred  feet.  The  day  after  our  arrival, 
its  summit  was  white  with  fresh  snow  that  had  fallen 
during  the  night,  presenting  a  beautiful  appearance  in 
the  sunlight,  contrasted  with  the  vivid  green  farther 
down  the  slope  of  the  mountain.  Palermo  and  Messina 
are  the  principal  ports,  from  which  large  shipments  of 
fruit,  principally  oranges  and  lemons,  are  made  to  London 
and  Liverpool,  as  well  as  the  United  States.  Trapani, 
on  the  northwestern  end  of  the  island,  is  also  a  great 
shipping  port  for  salt  brought  from  Marsala,  where  there 
are  extensive  salt-pans,  the  salt  being  heaped  in  great 
mounds  resembling  snow-drifts  when  viewed  from  the 
water  with  the  sun  shining  on  them. 

Having  completed  our  lading,  —  oranges  and  lemons, 
—  the  "  Kepler "  took  her  departure  from  Palermo, 
and  after  a  quick  run  from  Gibraltar  with  a  fair  passage 
of  thirty-six  days  across,  —  not  bad  in  the  month  of 
February,  —  we  took  a  pilot,  and  were  shortly  fast  along- 
side Central  Wharf,  Boston,  where  the  crew  were  paid 
off. 

I  made  a  run  to  New  Orleans  on  the  barque  "  Ionia," 
and  then  joined  the  ship  "  Governor  Davis  "  of  "  Train's 
White  Diamond  Line."  We  loaded  cotton  for  Liverpool, 
and  returned  to  Boston  with  emigrants,  some  three 
hundred  in  the  steerage.  Very  rough  weather  was 
experienced  on  this  passage  over,  and  the  passengers 


96  OCEAN   LIFE 

suffered  accordingly.  Gale  succeeded  gale,  with  a  frightful 
sea,  and  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the  passengers  below, 
with  hatches  on,  for  days  at  a  time.  When  they  were 
removed  the  men  were  sent  below  with  buckets  of  tar 
and  red  hot  irons  plunged  in  them  to  fumigate  the  hold 
and  between-decks.  Two  deaths  occurred  and  one 
passenger  had  his  leg  broken  by  a  cask  breaking  away 
in  a  gale.  With  the  record  of  sixty-eight  days  from  Liver- 
pool, we  anchored  in  Lighthouse  Channel,  Boston,  badly 
iced  up,  with  crew  frost-bitten  and  thoroughly  fagged 
out. 

From  the  "  Governor  Davis  "  I  went  to  the  "  Tirrell," 
a  large  ship,  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  Hyler, 
as  third  mate,  and  made  another  voyage  to  Liverpool, 
returning  to  Boston  with  four  hundred  and  twenty 
emigrants.  This  was  another  long,  hard  passage.  We 
had  heavy  gales,  with  plenty  of  snow  and  hail  squalls, 
with  high  seas.  Sixty  days  was  our  record  this  time, 
between  Liverpool  and  Boston. 

I  left  the  "  Tirrell  "  in  Boston,  and  having  had  enough 
of  western  ocean  winter  voyages,  I  signed  the  articles  of 
the  ship  "  Emperor,"  Captain  Knott  Pedrick,  as  third 
mate,  bound  to  New  Orleans.  The  "  Emperor  "  was  a 
ship  of  seven  hundred  tons  burthen,  having  fine  accom- 
modations for  cabin  passengers.  Sailing  from  Boston  in 
ballast,  we  arrived  safely,  and  loaded  cotton  for  Havre, 
France. 

New  Orleans,  at  this  time,  was  the  great  shipping 
port  of  the  South  for  exporting  cotton  to  Europe,  although 
Mobile,  Savannah  and  Charleston  also  shipped  great 
quantities. 

In  the  winter  months,  all  along  the  levees  at  New 
Orleans  lay  tiers  of  shipping  of  all  nationalities,  loading 
cotton  for  the  northern  ports  of  the  United  States,  as 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  97 

well  as  the  various  ports  of  Europe.  The  river  front  is 
shaped  like  a  crescent,  and  from  this  fact  New  Orleans 
takes  its  name  of  the  "  Crescent  City."  For  miles  along 
the  banks,  or  levees,  extends  the  shipping,  lying  in  tiers, 
loading  cotton,  staves,  or  tobacco,  but  principally  cotton. 
The  bales  were  rolled  from  the  levee  by  the  stevedores' 
gangs,  generally  roustabout  darkies,  up  the  staging,  and 
tumbled  on  deck  and  down  the  hold,  where  they  were 
received  by  gangs  of  cotton-screwers,  there  being  as 
many  gangs  in  the  ship's  hold  as  could  work  to  advantage. 
The  bales  were  placed  in  tiers,  and  when  they  would 
apparently  hold  no  more,  with  the  aid  of  planks  and 
powerful  cotton-screws,  several  bales  would  be  driven  in 
where  it  would  appear  to  a  novice  impossible  to  put  one. 

Four  men  to  a  screw  constituted  a  gang,  and  it  was  a 
point  of  honor  to  screw  as  many  bales  in  a  ship's  hold  as 
could  possibly  be  crammed  in,  and  in  some  cases  even 
springing  the  decks  upwards,  such  a  power  was  given  by 
the  screw.  All  this  work  was  accompanied  by  a  song, 
often  improvised  and  sung  by  the  "  chantie  "  man,  the 
chorus  being  taken  up  by  the  rest  of  the  gang.  Each 
gang  possessed  a  good  "  chantie  "  singer,  with  a  fine  voice. 
The  chorus  would  come  in  with  a  vim,  and  every  pound 
in  the  muscles  of  the  gang  would  be  thrown  into  the 
handle-bars  of  the  cotton-screws,  and  a  bale  of  cotton 
would  be  driven  in  where  there  appeared  to  be  but  a 
few  inches  of  space. 

The  songs  or  "  chanties  "  from  hundreds  of  these  gangs 
of  cotton-screwers  could  be  heard  all  along  the  river 
front,  day  after  day,  making  the  levees  of  New  Orleans 
a  lively  spot.  As  the  business  of  cotton-screwing  was 
dull  during  the  summer  months,  the  majority  of  the 
gangs,  all  being  good  sailors,  shipped  on  some  vessel 
that  was  bound  to  some  port  in  Europe  to  pass  the  heated 


98  OCEAN    LIFE 

term  and  escape  the  "  yellow  Jack,"  which  was  prevalent 
at  that  season.  When  they  returned  in  the  fall  they 
could  command  high  wages  at  cotton-screwing  on  ship- 
board. Some  would  go  to  northern  ports,  but  generally 
the  autumn  found  them  all  back,  ready  for  their  winter's 
work. 

"  Chantie  "  singing  was  not  confined  to  the  gangs  of 
cotton  screwers.  In  the  days  of  the  old  sailing  ships 
almost  all  the  work  on  shipboard  was  accompanied  by 
a  song  or  "  chantie."  My  old  friend  Captain  George 
Meacom,  of  Beverly,  nephew  of  my  old  commander, 
Captain  Edward  Meacom  of  the  ship  "  Brutus,"  in  an 
able  article  in  the  Boston  Transcript,  says  in  regard  to 
the  old  time  chantie  songs: 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  in  my  early  sea  life,  when  the 
American  merchant  marine  was  at  its  zenith,  and  the 
deep-water  clipper  sailing  ship  carried  the  broom  at  its 
masthead,  no  first-class  well-appointed  sailing  ship  would 
think  of  shipping  its  crew  without  having  at  least  one 
good  '  chantie  man  '  among  them.  For  with  the  old- 
style  hand-brake  windlass  for  getting  the  anchors,  the 
heavy,  single  topsails  and  courses  to  handle,  it  was 
necessary,  in  order  to  secure  the  combined  power  of  the 
men,  that  unison  of  effort  should  be  made,  especially 
while  heaving  up  the  anchor,  mastheading  the  topsails, 
getting  the  tacks  of  the  courses  aboard  and  the  sheets 
aft,  or  pumping  ship,  and  this  could  better  be  well  done 
by  the  assistance  of  a  good  '  chantie '  song.  With  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  men's  efforts  worked  as  a  unit,  this  great, 
combined  power  would  be  sure  to  bring  desired  results 
in  all  heavy  work.  Noticing  an  article  recently  pub- 
lished, the  writer  said,  '  I  have  passed  many  miserable 
hours  pumping  out  leaks  from  wooden  ships,  but  I  was 
never  so  fortunate  as  to  hear  a  pumping  chantie' 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  99 

"  In  my  early  days  of  sea  life  ships  were  driven  hard, 
and  sail  carried  on  the  vessel  to  the  utmost  limit,  that 
quick  passages  might  be  made,  with  the  result  that  the 
vessel  often  being  strained,  —  it  not  being  uncommon 
for  the  whole  body  structure  of  the  ship  to  quiver,  — 
would  leak  considerably,  and  in  order  to  keep  her  cargo 
from  being  damaged,  it  would  be  necessary  to  pump  the 
water  out  of  the  vessel  at  stated  periods,  and  at  these 
times  the  pumping  '  chantie '  song  came  in  place  and 
served  its  purpose  admirably.  Among  these  songs  were 
the  following: 

" '  MOBILE  BAY 
" '  Were  you  ever  down  in  Mobile  Bay, 

Johnnie,  come  tell  us  and  pump  away. 
A-screwing  cotton  by  the  day, 

Johnnie,  come  tell  us  and  pump  away, 
Aye,  aye,  pump  away, 

Johnnie,  come  tell  us  and  pump  away,'  etc. 

"  '  FIRE  DOWN  BELOW 
"  '  Fire  in  the  galley,  fire  in  the  house, 
Fire  in  the  beef  kid,  scorching  scouse; 
Fire,  fire,  fire  down  below:  fetch  a  bucket  of  water. 
Fire  down  below,'  etc. 

" '  ONE  MORE  DAY  FOR  JOHNNIE 
"  '  Only  one  more  day  for  Johnnie, 

Only  one  more  day: 
Oh,  rock  and  roll  me  over, 

Only  one  more  day,'  etc. 

"  All  of  the  named  '  chanties '  the  writer  of  this  once 
took  pride  in  singing  as  a  chantie  man  when  before  the 
mast  as  a  sailor,  and,  in  later  years,  after  becoming  an 
officer  and  captain,  he  found  that  the  early  acquisition 
was  valuable  as  a  critic  of  good  '  chantie '  singing,  and 
although  more  than  one  half  of  a  century  has  passed,  yet 


100  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  old  '  chantie '  song  will  start  the  blood  tingling  with 
the  vim  of  the  days  of  yore." 

The  phrase  "  carried  the  broom  at  its  masthead," 
in  Captain  Meacom's  letter,  is  a  reference  to  a  custom 
of  the  old  Dutch  ships,  signifying  their  ability  to  sweep 
the  seas. 

Ships  were  constantly  coming  and  going,  the  great 
tows  nightly  leaving  for  their  long  journey  down  the 
Mississippi  to  the  sea,  or  rather  to  the  bar,  for  it  was  a 
problem  whether  a  ship,  after  arriving  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  would  be  able,  if  she  drew  much  water,  to  cross 
the  bar,  and  I  have  known  ships  to  be  weeks  aground 
before  the  powerful  tugboats  could  drag  them  through 
the  mud,  three  or  more  tugs  often  being  hitched  on  to 
one  ship.  All  this  has  been  changed  since  Eads  com- 
pleted his  jetties,  deepening  the  channel  so  that  ships  of 
heavy  draft  enter  and  leave  without  trouble. 

The  "  Emperor,"  being  loaded,  left  the  city  at  eight  P.  M. 
in  tow  of  the  tugboat,  and  arrived  at  the  bar  the  following 
morning.  Here,  finding  a  high  stage  of  water,  we  crossed 
without  difficulty,  and  proceeded  down  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
en  route  for  Havre,  France.  The  "  Emperor  "  carried 
three  passengers,  a  lady,  child  and  servant. 

After  a  pleasant  passage  of  forty-six  days,  we  entered 
the  basin  of  the  docks  of  Havre,  and  discharging  the 
cotton,  some  four  hundred  steerage  passengers  were  taken 
on  board,  over  three-quarters  of  whom  were  women  and 
girls,  with  ages  ranging  from  seventeen  to  thirty-seven, 
a  fine  lot,  mostly  French  and  German,  with  a  sprinkling 
of  Swiss,  who  were  bound  to  New  York,  and  thence  to 
a  western  State  to  work  in  a  factory  or  mill,  on  some 
special  line  of  goods.  The  run  across  was  most  delightful. 
Quartering  winds  and  a  smooth  sea  produced  no  sea- 
sickness, and  having  a  good  band  on  board  amongst  tfce 


CHILE    AND    PERU.  — ITALY  101 

men  passengers,  Captain  Pedrick  invited  the  girls,  in  the 
evening,  to  dance;  allowing  the  crew,  mostly  Germans 
and  Swedes,  to  join  them  from  seven  to  nine  P.  M.  as 
partners.  The  ship,  having  a  full  poop  deck  extending  to 
mainmast,  afforded  splendid  facilities  for  dancing,  which 
was  improved  by  the  girls  on  every  opportunity,  and  the 
kindness  of  Captain  Pedrick  was  appreciated  by  all  on 
board. 

A  quick  run  of  nineteen  days  brought  the  "  Emperor  ;; 
to  the  port  of  New  York,  and  taking  a  pilot,  we  passed 
Sandy  Hook,  receiving  the  doctor  on  board,  who  detained 
us  but  a  short  time.  Captain  Pedrick  received  the 
compliment  of  having  the  finest  lot  of  steerage  passengers 
ever  brought  to  the  port  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER   XI 
1851  -  1852 

ASHORE   ON  TERRA   DEL   FUEGO.  —  CAPE   PEMBROKE. 

PORT   STANLEY.  —  AN   INTERNATIONAL   INCIDENT 

HAVING  a  desire  for  long  voyages  in  preference  to  the 
Atlantic  trade,  I  left  New  York  for  Boston,  where  I 
joined  the  ship  "  Revere,"  Captain  Howes,  as  second 
mate,  for  a  voyage  to  Callao,  Peru.  The  cargo  consisted 
of  ice  in  the  hold,  and  lumber  between  decks.  The 
"  Revere  "  was  a  fine  ship  of  about  seven  hundred  tons. 

A  quick  run  was  made  from  Boston  to  the  equator, 
when,  taking  the  S.  E.  trades,  we  continued  on  until  in 
the  latitude  of  the  Falkland  Islands;  from  thence  the 
course  was  shaped  for  the  Straits  of  Le  Maire,  between 
the  island  of  Staten  Land  and  Patagonia. 

Although  the  weather  was  thick  and  no  observation 
had  been  taken,  or  any  land  sighted,  Captain  Howes, 
feeling  confident  of  his  position,  shaped  his  course  to 
pass  through  at  night. 

I  had  the  first  watch  on  deck,  from  8  P.  M.  until  mid- 
night. It  was  very  hazy,  but  the  sea  was  smooth,  with 
an  eight  to  ten  knot  breeze  blowing,  no  indication  of  bad 
weather,  and  with  a  favoring  wind  we  set  the  foretopmast 
stunsail. 

At  eight  bells,  Mr.  Bird,  the  first  officer,  came  on  deck 
to  relieve  me,  taking  the  course,  and  we  passed  some  ten 

102 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  103 

minutes  in  conversation,  congratulating  each  other  on 
the  fine  prospect  for  a  quick  run  around  the  Cape. 

Going  below,  I  turned  in,  but  before  dropping  off  to 
sleep  I  heard  the  order  to  brace  forward,  and  take  in  the 
stunsail;  then  turning  over,  I  fell  into  a  sound  slumber, 
from  which  I  was  suddenly  awakened,  hearing  four 
bells  strike,  and  was  wondering  what  woke  me,  when  the 
ship  struck  with  a  shock  that  brought  my  head  in  contact 
with  a  beam,  causing  me  to  see  more  stars  than  I  ever 
imagined  were  made,  but  gathering  my  senses  and  think- 
ing we  were  in  collision  with  another  ship,  I  sprang  from 
my  berth  and  rushed  for  the  deck,  meeting  Captain  Howes 
in  the  companionway,  who,  emerging  from  the  cabin  door, 
ran  to  wind'ard.  Hearing  the  order  to  haul  aback  the 
main  yard,  I  sprang  to  leeward,  throwing  off  the  lee 
braces.  The  night  was  black,  and  coming  from  the  light 
of  the  cabin,  I  could  for  a  few  moments  distinguish 
nothing.  The  ship  was  lying  heeled  well  over  on  her 
port  side,  and  with  her  yards  thrown  aback  worked  and 
pounded  with  such  force  that  we  expected  every  moment 
the  spars  would  come  about  our  ears. 

In  the  meantime,  becoming  accustomed  to  the  dark- 
ness, I  jumped  on  a  spar,  and  looking  over  the  side,  could 
see  the  white  sand  and  huge  boulders  by  which  we  were 
surrounded,  and  I  then  knew  we  were  ashore  on  the  bleak 
coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego,  an  island  off  the  southern  end 
of  Patagonia,  inhabited  by  the  lowest  type  of  cannibalistic 
savages. 

The  shore  was  bold,  and  we  could  now  make  out  the 
high  land  looming  black  through  the  fog  almost  directly 
over  us.  Our  only  salvation  lay  in  getting  the  ship  afloat; 
unless  we  did,  the  probability  was  we  should  have  to  take 
to  our  boats  and  effect  a  landing  on  Staten  Land,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  straits,  taking  the  chance  of  being 


104  OCEAN    LIFE 

rescued  by  some  passing  vessel,  or  else  make  for  the 
Chilian  settlement  of  Sandy  Point,  Straits  of  Magellan. 

Fortunately  we  were  not  brought  to  this  pass,  as  the 
strong  gusts  of  wind  swept  down  from  the  high  land, 
and  every  sail  being  thrown  aback,  the  ship  began  to 
careen  and  work,  jumping  until  we  trembled  for  the  spars. 
Everything  held  firm,  however,  and  in  the  course  of  from 
twenty  minutes  to  half  an  hour,  she  gave  one  final  jump, 
and  slid  stern  first  into  deep  water.  As  she  swung  around, 
the  yards  were  trimmed  and  she  was  steered  offshore 
by  the  sails.  Our  steering  apparatus  was  disabled,  for 
a  time  the  rudder  was  useless,  both  arms  that  worked 
the  rudder-head  with  a  system  of  cogs  having  been 
smashed. 

By  the  time  we  had  made  an  offing  of  a  half-mile  or 
so,  the  courses  were  hauled  up,  and  pumps  sounded  by 
the  carpenter.  Anxiously  we  awaited  the  report  that 
came  in  the  ominous  reply  of  "  Chips  "  to  Captain  Howes' 
interrogatory: 

"  Two  feet  nine  inches,  sir!  " 

All  knew  our  condition  was  now  serious.  The  carpenter 
was  set  at  work  fitting  spare  arms  to  the  rudder-head  so 
the  ship  could  be  steered,  while  the  pumps  were  rigged 
with  brakes  to  which  to  hitch  the  lines,  making  the  task 
of  continuous  pumping  easier  for  the  men.  This  done, 
the  pumps  were  manned,  and  a  rousing  song  started, 
which  never  stopped  for  ten  hours,  or  until  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

At  this  time,  the  rudder-head  being  in  order,  the  pumps, 
which  had  shown  no  indication  of  sucking,  were  again 
sounded,  and  a  gain  of  the  leak  was  reported.  It  was 
then  four  feet ! 

A  consultation  of  all  hands  was  called  and  the  con- 
sensus of  opinion  was  that  it  would  be  folly  to  attempt 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  105 

a  passage  around  Cape  Horn  in  our  condition,  the  unani- 
mous verdict  being  to  bear  up  for  the  Falkland  Islands, 
and  make  Port  Stanley,  if  possible,  so  the  pumps  having 
been  manned  with  a  fresh  gang,  the  "  Revere's  "  course 
was  shaped  for  Cape  Pembroke,  F.  I. 

All  boats  were  put  in  order  with  provisions  and  water, 
with  tackles  on  the  yards  ready  to  hoist  and  swing 
should  it  become  necessary  to  leave  the  ship  at  any  time, 
and,  all  being  in  readiness,  the  crew  relieving  each  other 
at  the  pumps  in  gangs,  it  was  nothing  but  clang,  clang, 
clang  of  the  pumps,  day  and  night,  the  water  gushing 
from  the  scuppers  as  clear  as  alongside. 

No  other  work  was  being  done  but  to  trim  sails. 

During  the  three  days  before  we  sighted  Cape  Pem- 
broke, the  weather  was  delightful.  A  fine  eight  or  ten 
knot  breeze  blowing,  with  the  wind  dead  aft,  and  a 
smooth  sea.  All  hands  had  cabin  fare:  canned  meats 
and  cabin  stores  were  served  out  freely  to  the  crew,  as 
it  was  not  known  at  what  moment  we  might  have  to 
abandon  the  ship.  It  might  be  a  change  of  wind  that 
would  —  owing  to  the  quantity  of  water  in  her  — 
throw  her  on  her  beam  ends  and  render  her  unmanageable, 
or  a  storm  might  arise  at  any  time  in  this  latitude,  that 
would  bring  matters  to  a  climax. 

The  wind  holding  steady,  and  the  sea  continuing 
smooth,  we  sighted  Cape  Pembroke  the  third  day,  round- 
ing which,  the  ship  entered  a  long  reach  of  smooth  water,  — 
like  a  mill  pond,  —  between  Green  Island  and  the  cape. 
Bringing  the  wind  abeam  caused  her  to  list  heavily  to 
starboard,  and  the  sounding-rod  showed  some  nine  feet 
of  water  in  the  hold  just  before  rounding  the  cape.  We 
had  now  an  opportunity  to  look  at  our  surroundings, 
being  in  comparative  safety.  The  reach  was  narrow, 
and  the  shore  was  lined  with  penguins,  standing  on  one 


106  OCEAN    LIFE 

leg,  as  regular  as  a  troop  of  soldiers  drawn  up  in  line, 
which  they  very  much  resembled.  The  whole  of  Cape 
Pembroke  was  covered  with  nests  of  sea-fowl,  or  rather 
the  eggs,  which  lay  in  every  direction  about  the  rocks. 

Working  up  into  Port  Stanley,  the  inner  harbor  of 
Port  William,  we  entered  the  snuggest  haven  that  a 
ship  was  ever  in. 

Stanley  Harbor  is  oblong  in  shape,  about  four  miles 
long,  by  a  mile  and  a  half  wide,  with  a  depth  of  from 
five  to  eight  fathoms,  completely  landlocked  save  the 
narrow  entrance  from  Port  William,  with  good,  sandy 
beaches,  an  ideal  spot  for  a  disabled  ship  to  undergo 
repairs.  Dropping  anchor,  we  were  at  once  visited  by 
old  Captain  William  H.  Smiley,  our  American  consul  at 
the  Falkland  Islands,  who  carried  on,  in  addition  to 
consular  duties,  a  sealing  business  on  the  coasts  of  Pata- 
gonia, Terra  del  Fuego,  and  adjacent  islands,  as  well  as 
the  South  Shetlands.  He  had  a  brig  and  two  or  three 
small  schooners,  with  a  number  of  whale-boats. 

After  a  conference,  it  was  decided  to  haul  alongside 
an  old  hulk  lying  in  the  port,  put  our  stores  on  board, 
raft  the  lumber  and  throw  the  ice  that  was  in  the  hold 
overboard,  heave  down  and  examine  the  amount  of 
damage,  hold  a  survey,  and  decide  what  was  best  to  be 
done. 

The  town,  situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  entrance 
to  the  harbor,  was  small,  consisting  of  a  hundred  dwell- 
ings, —  a  story  and  a  half  and  two  story  buildings,  — 
with  a  court-house  and  jail,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
bay  the  more  pretentious  residence  of  the  governor. 
The  population  numbered  from  six  hundred  to  eight 
hundred,  largely  composed  of  pensioners  of  the  English 
army,  old  soldiers,  receiving  a  pension  of  sixpence  or  a 
shilling,  and  perhaps  more,  per  day,  placed  there  with 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  107 

their  families  and  given  a  house  and  land  to  cultivate. 
Here  in  this  far-off  corner  of  the  earth,  they  could  eke 
out  an  existence. 

There  was  no  lack  of  food.  Sea-fowl  were  abundant, 
and  the  islands  were  overrun  with  hares  and  rabbits. 
Rabbit  served  in  every  style  was  the  regular  bill  of  fare 
while  we  lay  there. 

Having  disposed  of  our  lumber  at  a  good  price  to 
"  Dean  &  Co.,"  the  only  mercantile  house  in  the  port,  we 
hoisted  out  the  cakes  of  ice,  dumping  them  in  the  harbor 
until  the  waters  around  the  ship  looked  like  a  small 
section  of  the  Arctic  Ocean! 

All  the  stores,  with  the  belongings  of  officers  and 
crew,  were  removed  to  the  hulk,  where  we  now  lived. 

From  a  whaler  coming  in  homeward  bound,  we  pro- 
cured her  cutting  in  falls  and  blocks,  and  reeving  pur- 
chases at  our  ship's  fore  and  main  mastheads,  hove  down 
to  Captain  Smiley 's  brig,  bringing  the  "  Revere  "  out  of 
water  on  the  port  side  to  her  keel,  which  was  found  to  be 
nearly  gone.  The  garboard-streak  was  cut  half  through, 
lower  part  of  rudder  gone,  the  stem  knocked  off,  and 
pieces  gouged  out  of  her  bilge  a  fathom  or  two  in  length, 
not  leaving  but  an  eighth  of  an  inch  thickness  of  plank. 
The  copper  was  wholly  torn  off  of  her  port  side,  with 
great  copper  bolts  driven  up  through  the  kelson  six  inches 
and  more.  She  was  a  sorry  sight,  and  had  she  been  loaded 
with  any  other  cargo  than  ice  and  lumber,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  saved  her.  Procuring  a  piece 
of  English  oak  for  a  stem,  and  heavy  oak  plank  for  the 
keel,  replacing  plank  where  gouged  out,  we  caulked  all 
seams,  pitching  over  all,  fitted  lower  end  to  the  rudder, 
and  nailed  down  the  ragged  ends  of  copper,  and  the  good 
ship  "  Revere  "  was  again  tight  and  sound  as  temporary 
repairs  could  make  her. 


108  OCEAN    LIFE 

The  work  on  the  ship  was  done  by  the  officers  and  crew, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  ship's  carpenter. 

Our  stay  at  Port  Stanley  covered  four  months,  the 
weather  during  that  time  being  very  changeable;  bright 
sunshine  followed  quickly  by  sharp  squalls  of  snow  or 
hail.  Eight  or  ten  times  during  repairs  it  would  come  on 
to  blow  so  heavily  as  to  oblige  us  to  let  her  up,  and  all 
were  heartily  rejoiced  when  the  work  was  completed. 

During  our  stay  a  man  was  hung  for  murder,  the  first 
execution  that  had  occurred  on  the  island. 

One  incident  took  place  while  we  were  there,  that 
illustrated  what  a  little  thing  may  sometimes  stir  up  ill 
feeling  between  two  nations. 

Captain  Smiley,  in  former  years,  had  let  loose  a  few 
hogs  upon  the  West  Falkland,  an  uninhabited  island  of 
the  group,  which  multiplied  until  at  this  time  there  were 
large  numbers  of  them  running  wild. 

A  whale-ship  named  the  "  Columbus,"  having  a  tender 
called  the  "  George  Washington,"  was  cruising  on  the 
whaling  grounds  about  the  Falklands  and  Patagonia, 
and  a  boat's  crew,  landing  on  the  West  Falkland,  shot  a 
number  of  the  hogs.  A  week  after  this  occurrence,  six 
men  from  the  "  Columbus  "  deserted  in  a  whale-boat, 
and  came  up  to  the  East  Falkland  (Port  Stanley),  where 
they  reported  to  the  governor  that  the  captain  of  the 
"  Columbus  "  and  "  George  Washington "  had  been 
guilty  of  shooting  and  stealing  hogs  from  off  the  West 
Falklands,  possessions  of  her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria. 

The  governor  of  the  colony,  who  had  been  recently 
sent  out,  and  felt  the  importance  of  his  position,  was 
horrified,  and  at  once  wrote  to  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  for 
an  English  man-of-war  to  be  sent  down. 

In  the  meantime,  Captain  Smiley,  getting  wind  of 
what  was  going  on,  employed  the  boat's  crew  who  deserted 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  109 

from  the  whaler  on  board  his  brig,  and  when  he  got  them 
there  he  kept  them  there,  allowing  no  communication 
with  the  shore,  and  the  next  sailing  of  the  mail  packet 
carried  a  note  to  the  American  consul  at  Montevideo, 
requesting  an  American  war  vessel  and  stating  the  facts. 

About  ten  days  passed,  and  there  sailed  into  the  harbor 
of  Port  Stanley  a  ten-gun  English  brig.  Salutes  were 
fired  and  visits  exchanged  between  the  governor  and 
the  brig's  commander.  The  following  morning  the  brig 
sailed. 

The  English  brig  had  been  gone  but  a  few  days  when 
the  tall  spars  of  a  Yankee  war  vessel  loomed  up  over 
the  point,  and  the  American  sloop  of  war  "  Germantown  " 
sailed  into  the  harbor,  and  anchored  above  the  point, 
housing  her  upper  spars,  so  they  could  not  be  seen  from 
Port  William,  the  outer  harbor. 

Captain  Smiley  immediately  went  on  board  in  full 
consular  uniform,  and  a  mysterious  interchange  of  visits 
began,  between  his  brig  and  the  sloop  of  war. 

Another  week  had  passed,  when  about  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  the  tender  "  George  Washington " 
sailed  into  the  harbor,  in  charge  of  a  lieutenant  of  the 
English  brig  and  a  prize  crew!  The  "  Columbus  "  was 
following,  with  an  officer  from  the  brig  in  charge,  but 
came  to  anchor  outside  of  the  entrance,  neither  of  them 
dreaming  of  an  American  sloop  of  war  waiting  to  receive 
them. 

They  were  hardly  inside,  when  a  lieutenant  and  boat's 
crew  from  the  "  Germantown  "  boarded  the  tender,  and 
asked  who  was  in  charge. 

"  I  was,"  said  the  captain  of  the  tender,  "  until  this 
officer  was  put  on  board  with  men,  and  I  was  ordered 
in  here." 

"  Very  well/'  said  the  American  lieutenant,  "  you  can 


110  OCEAN    LIFE 

take  command  again  of  your  vessel,  and  come  to  anchor 
under  the  guns  of  the  '  Germantown.'  Lieutenant/' 
turning  to  the  English  officer,  "  you  will  give  over  your 
charge,  and  the  boat  is  at  your  disposal  to  go  on  shore, 
or  we  should  be  most  happy  to  entertain  you  on  board 
our  ship  until  yours  arrives." 

The  same  scene  was  enacted  on  board  the  "  Columbus," 
with  the  exception  that  a  number  of  the  crew  of  the 
"  Germantown  "  boarded  the  ship,  and  brought  her  into 
the  inner  harbor,  anchoring  her  near  the  schooner. 

All  this  was  great  fun  for  us,  who  were  now  fully  alive 
to  the  situation. 

The  next  morning  the  English  brig  came  in. 

The  two  war  vessels  saluted  each  other,  and  visits 
were  exchanged  between  the  officers. 

The  governor  went  on  board,  U.  S.  Consul  Smiley, 
also,  and  there  was  a  constant  pulling  back  and  forth, 
the  officers  and  crew  of  the  U.  S.  sloop  of  war  "  Ger- 
mantown "  and  the  English  man-of-war  fraternizing  in 
the  most  cordial  manner,  the  governor  seeming  to  be 
ignored,  somewhat. 

In  a  few  days  both  war  vessels  sailed. 

The  whaler  "  Columbus  "  recovered  her  men,  Captain 
Smiley  delivering  them  on  board  with  the  boat  they  had 
stolen.  A  full  report  of  the  affair  was  sent  by  our  ship 
to  Washington,  and  it  was  also  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  British  government,  by  whom,  I  afterwards  under- 
stood, the  governor  was  recalled.  A  few  days  after,  the 
"  Revere "  sailed  for  Boston,  taking,  as  passengers, 
Captain  Smiley's  wife  and  child,  and  in  fifty-eight  days 
we  again  entered  Boston  Harbor,  where  all  hands  were 
paid  off,  and  the  "  Revere  "  went  into  the  dry  dock  for 
full  repairs. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  on  taking  up  the  paper,  my 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  111 

eye  caught  a  head-line  in  large  type,  "  Insult  to  the 
American  Flag,"  and  then  followed  a  long  account  of 
the  almost  "  international  affair "  in  the  Falkland 
Islands. 

As  I  shall  not  have  occasion  to  refer  to  the  Hon.  William 
H.  Smiley  again,  I  will  say  that  he  was  in  many  respects 
a  most  remarkable  man,  and  worthy  of  a  more  than 
passing  notice.  Four  months  at  the  Falklands,  passed 
in  his  company,  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  obtaining 
an  insight  into  the  character  and  studying  the  peculiar 
traits  of  the  man. 

Tall,  possessing  a  massive  frame,  a  face  that  would  not 
have  taken  the  prize  for  beauty,  being  seamed  and 
scarred,  but  having  a  firmness  about  the  jaw  and  mouth 
that  indicated  an  iron  will;  fearless  in  the  face  of  peril 
and  always  cool  in  the  hour  of  danger,  he  was  a  man 
most  admirably  fitted  for  the  position  he  held  in  his  little 
world  in  a  far-off  corner  of  the  earth,  from  which  as  a 
friend  of  humanity,  and  a  benefactor  to  mankind,  his 
deeds  were  heralded  in  both  Europe  and  America,  being 
recognized  by  both  nations. 

He  was  the  owner  of  a  number  of  small  schooners 
and  whale-boats,  and  in  his  occupation  of  sealing  about 
the  Patagonian  coast  and  South  Shetlands,  as  well  as 
trading  with  the  Indians  of  Patagonia,  Captain  Smiley, 
with  his  crew,  was  exposed  to  many  perils.  At  one  time, 
having  his  men  all  out  sealing,  he  sailed  alone  around 
Cape  Horn;  it  being  said  that  he  was  the  only  man 
that  ever  doubled  Cape  Horn  alone  in  a  fifty-ton 
schooner. 

His  adventures  among  the  South  Shetlands  were  most 
thrilling,  and  many  nights,  in  Port  Stanley  Harbor,  I 
have  lain  awake  until  long  after  the  midnight  hour 
listening  to  Captain  Smiley's  yarns  that  were  being  spun 


112  OCEAN   LIFE 

to  Captain  Howes,  who  would  sit  up  all  night  to  hear 
them. 

Captain  Smiley  died  of  cholera  at  Montevideo,  in  the 
year  1871,  at  the  store  of  the  United  States  consul,  Mr. 
Parsons,  where  he  was  stricken.  Mr.  William  D.  Evans, 
a  ship  chandler  of  Montevideo,  and  his  manager,  Captain 
Joseph  W.  Clapp  of  Nantucket,  a  great  friend  of  Captain 
Smiley,  were  with  him  to  the  end.  As  characteristic  of 
the  man,  it  was  said  that  at  the  last,  a  clergyman  was 
brought  in,  who  started  to  read  a  passage  from  the 
Scriptures,  but  the  captain,  being  in  great  agony,  waved 
him  back,  saying,  "  Don't  read  me  anything,  I  am  in 
too  much  pain  to  listen.  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I've 
kept  a  straight  log." 

The  following  obituary  notice  by  the  editor,  Mr.  Mul- 
hall,  appeared  in  the  Standard  of  Buenos  Ayres: 

"  It  is  with  profound  regret  we  have  to  announce  to 
our  readers  the  death  of  Captain  W.  H.  Smiley,  a  worthy 
American  citizen  whose  connection  with  the  River  Plata 
dates  so  far  back  as  1808.  During  the  Chilian  War  of 
Independence,  Smiley  served  with  great  distinction  under 
our  lamented  countryman  Admiral  Browne,  and  in  sub- 
sequent years  played  a  very  conspicuous  role  in  the 
waters  of  the  south  Pacific  and  Atlantic.  He  was  born 
in  Rhode  Island  in  1792,  in  the  city  of  Providence,  and 
well  may  that  little  State  be  proud  of  her  sailor  boy,  who 
in  his  extraordinary  career  won  the  friendship  and  esteem 
of  the  savages  in  Patagonia,  and  the  first  statesmen  of 
Europe  and  America.  A  man  so  universally  esteemed 
must  have  had  high  claims  to  great  philanthropy,  and 
have  proved  himself  in  every  sense  a  benefactor  to 
humanity. 

"  Captain  Smiley  was  one  of  the  most  whole-souled 
fellows  that  ever  breathed,  and  possibly  no  more  noble 


ASHORE  ON  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO  113 

epitaph  could  be  inscribed  over  his  grave  than  the  long 
list  of  vessels,  with  their  passengers  and  crews,  which 
he  has  been  instrumental  in  saving. 

"  For  upwards  of  forty  years  he  acted  as  commercial 
agent  for  the  United  States  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 
where  he  established  his  headquarters.  Although  not 
belonging  to  the  United  States  Navy,  so  highly  did  his 
country  prize  his  services,  that  his  little  barque,  the 
'  Kate  Sargent/  carried  her  own  guns,  and  her  worthy 
commander  wore  the  uniform  of  the  service  which  his 
name  adorned,  yet  not  in  commission.  Mr.  Seward 
(U.  S.  Secretary  of  State  under  President  Lincoln),  when 
a  boy,  was  cared  for  by  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  and 
Lord  Palmerston  (English  Prime  Minister),  in  his  long 
connection  with  foreign  affairs,  was  so  frequently  brought 
in  contact  with  the  noble  acts  of  the  lamented  Smiley, 
that  he  often  expressed  a  hope  that  he  might  some  day 
or  other  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  this  extraordinary 
man. 

"  The  loss  of  Captain  Smiley  will  be  long  felt,  not  only 
by  the  immediate  circle  of  his  friends,  at  home  and 
abroad,  but  by  the  mercantile  marine  navigating  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  where  he  was  a  sort  of  Neptune, 
intimately  acquainted  with  every  spot  on  the  Pata- 
gonian  coast,  and  the  best  pilot  extant  for  the  difficult 
navigation  of  the  Straits.  Captain  Smiley  ever  found 
constant  appeals  for  his  services,  either  from  suffering 
humanity,  to  further  science  in  her  discoveries,  or  forward 
commerce  in  her  onward  march.  Success  ever  crowned 
his  exertions,  and  he  won  the  thanks  of  a  trading  world 
whilst  he  amassed  a  fortune  for  his  family.  We  knew 
him,  and  proud  are  we  to  think  that  one  of  the  privileges 
of  an  editorial  career  is  to  be  thrown  into  contact  with 
such  men.  Last  year  he  visited  this  city  in  company 


114  OCEAN   LIFE 

with  two  little  orphans,  the  children  of  a  dead  friend,  — 
whom  he  brought  up  at  his  own  expense,  —  to  see  the 
cities  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  Montevideo. 

"  The  first  gun  that  saluted  the  Fourth  of  July,  1867, 
in  our  harbor,  was  from  the  '  Kate  Sargent/  and  two 
years  previously  he  joined  the  Fourth  of  July  banquet 
at  the  Hotel  Provence,  and  astonished  the  company  by 
the  naivete  of  his  eloquence. 

"  Men  like  Smiley  pass  from  among  us,  but  they  leave 
their  footprints.  At  his  funeral  in  Montevideo,  on  Fri- 
day, the  flags  in  the  harbor  hung  at  half-mast,  and  the 
American  admiral  attended  with  a  full  staff  of  officers, 
to  pay  the  last  tributes  to  one  of  the  worthiest  sons  of 
New  England.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  read  the  funeral 
service,  a  long  line  of  carriages  followed  in  the  procession, 
and  he  who  saved  so  many,  at  last  found  eternal  sal- 
vation." 


CHAPTER    XII 
1853  -  1854 

FISHING  ON  THE  GRAND  BANKS. — MAYAGUEZ,  PORTO  RICO. 
—  SAVANNAH,  GA.  —  ASHORE    ON   THE  DRY  TORTUGAS 

STOPPING  at  Marblehead,  my  old  home,  for  a  few  weeks, 
I  passed  the  time  in  watching  the  fishermen  fitting  out 
their  schooners  for  a  "  fall  fare  "  to  the  Grand  Banks  and 
Quereau  and  taking  aboard  stores  and  water,  and  while 
in  conversation  with  them  I  chanced  to  remark  that  I 
had  never  taken  a  trip  to  the  Banks,  as  a  boy,  but  would 
like  to  go  very  much. 

The  next  afternoon,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  just 
after  tea,  there  came  a  knock  at  the  front  door.  There 
were  no  electric  bells  in  those  days,  but  we  used  the  big 
old-fashioned  brass  knockers.  Opening  the  door,  I  con- 
fronted Skipper  Joshua  Nickerson,  of  the  good  old 
schooner  "  Ceres."  I  asked  him  in,  and  he  stated  that  he 
understood  that  I  would  like  a  trip  to  the  Banks,  and  he 
would  be  pleased  to  have  me  go  with  him  as  navigator. 
Although  in  the  science  of  cod-fishing  he  was  a  past 
master,  he  had  not  mastered  the  science  of  navigation. 
Considering  a  few  moments,  I  quickly  made  up  my  mind, 
and  asked  the  skipper  what  there  would  be  in  it. 

"  A  full  share,  and  half  the  skippers  hip,"  said  he. 

This  last  was  an  extra  remuneration  of  $75. 

116 


116  OCEAN    LIFE 

I  replied,  "  Well,  skipper,  I'll  go,"  and  the  bargain 
was  made. 

After  a  short  conversation  as  to  what  I  would  require, 
this  being  a  new  business  for  me,  he  took  his  leave,  and 
the  following  morning  I  went  to  work  on  board  the 
"  Ceres,"  as  one  of  her  crew,  getting  her  ready. 

Fishing  on  the  Banks  at  that  time  was  very  different 
from  the  present  day.  Then  all  fishing  was  done  from 
the  vessel,  not  with  trawls  and  dories,  as  now  carried  on; 
the  big  moses  boat  at  the  stern  davits,  and  perhaps  a 
single  dory  on  deck,  were  all  the  boats  carried.  I  am  now 
referring  only  to  the  Marblehead  men;  the  French  vessels 
on  the  Banks  were  all  trawlers. 

The  "  catch  "  was  divided  into  shares,  the  vessel  taking 
three-eighths,  while  the  remaining  five-eighths  were  divided 
among  the  skipper  and  crew.  In  fitting  out,  the  vessel 
found  what  was  called  the  "  big  general/'  consisting  of 
beef  and  pork,  bread,  flour,  bait,  salt  and  water  barrels, 
while  each  man  furnished  his  small  stores,  known  as  the 
"  small  general,"  his  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  molasses,  vinegar, 
and  whatever  his  fancy  dictated,  in  addition  to  his 
fishing  gear,  not  forgetting  a  small  brown  jug  of  fine  old 
Medford  rum,  as  medical  stores. 

The  day  for  sailing  having  arrived,  sweethearts  and 
wives  were  bidden  good-by,  and  with  colors  flying,  we 
rounded  Point  Neck  Light,  the  men  glancing  lingeringly 
back  for  a  final  look  at  the  old  town,  and,  perchance,  a 
last  look  at  the  dear  homes  of  some  of  the  crew,  where 
wives  or  mothers  would  anxiously  wait  the  passing  of  the 
sad,  weary  days,  ere  they  would  again  see  their  loved 
ones,  if  ever,  for  the  Bank  fishing,  especially  "  fall  fares  " 
with  the  September  gales,  was  a  dangerous  calling,  as 
the  town  records  of  old  Marblehead  will  show;  but  "  men 
must  work  and  women  must  weep,"  and  however  dan- 


I. 


FISHING    ON    THE    GRAND    BANKS    117 

gerous,  there  never  lacked  brave,  hardy  men  to  man  her 
fishing  fleet  and  take  the  chances,  nor  women  to  watch 
like  "  poor  lone  Hannah  "  in  Lucy  Larcom's  poem,  while 

"  Round  the  rocks  of  Marblehead 
Outward  bound  a  schooner  sped." 

We  passed  Marblehead  Rock  and  Half-way  Rock,  the 
latter  near  enough  to  enable  each  man  to  throw  on  it 
a  few  copper  cents,  for  good  luck,  a  custom  religiously 
observed,  in  those  days,  by  every  Bank  fisherman  sailing 
from  Marblehead,  and  was  supposed  to  guarantee  a  good 
fare,  if  not  "  wetting  their  salt,"  i.  e.  using  it  all  up. 

Arrived  on  Quereau,  we  sighted  the  fleet,  coming  to 
anchor  just  at  sundown,  and  throwing  over  the  lines, 
found  the  fish  were  biting  well. 

The  deck  fittings  when  on  the  Banks  were  kids,  or 
receptacles  to  hold  the  fish  when  caught.  There  were 
three  on  a  side,  even  with  the  rail,  extending  to  the 
deck,  and  they  would  hold  two  or  three  hundred  fish. 

Fishing  was  done  mostly  at  night;  unless  they  were 
very  sharp  in  the  daytime,  we  improved  the  daylight 
to  change  our  berth  and  throw  over  the  gurry  (refuse). 
The  night  watches  consisted  of  two  men  at  the  lines  for 
three  hours  and  twenty  minutes,  when  they  were  relieved 
by  two  more. 

The  cook  was  called  at  four  A.  M.  At  six  o'clock,  all 
hands  breakfasted  while  the  cook  tended  the  lines,  after 
which  came  "  dressing  down." 

In  the  waist  were  high  plank  in  squares,  to  hold  the 
fish  caught  during  the  night,  that  were  taken  from  the 
kids.  These  squares  prevented  the  fish  from  slipping 
about  the  deck,  and  in  them  were  stationed  one  or  two 
men  with  sharp  knives  who  cut  the  throats,  and  split 


118  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  fish,  passing  the  same  to  the  heading  and  splitting 
table,  which  extended  about  four  feet  from  the  rail  to 
which  it  was  attached.  On  one  side  stood  the  "  header," 
whose  business  it  was  to  sever  the  head  and  remove  the 
refuse,  dropping  the  livers  in  the  baskets  placed  under- 
neath to  receive  them,  from  which  when  full  they  were 
emptied  into  the  cod  liver  butt  lashed  alongside  the  rail 
just  forward  of  the  main  rigging,  to  try  out  in  the  sun  for 
the  cod  liver  oil,  a  fine  odorous  compound  after  standing 
a  month  or  so,  but  not  unpleasant  after  one  became 
accustomed  to  it,  and  very  healthful. 

The  fish  having  been  passed  across  the  table  to  the 
splitter,  he,  with  two  cuts,  removed  the  backbone,  send- 
ing it  to  the  main  hatch  to  the  man  who  shot  him  down 
the  hold  to  the  salter.  This  position  was  only  held  by 
an  experienced  hand,  as  too  free  use  of  salt  would  waste 
it,  while  not  enough  would  cause  the  fish  to  burn  or  turn 
red,  something  that  would  hurt  its  marketable  value. 
The  tongues  and  sounds  were  generally  cut  out  and 
cleaned  by  any  of  the  men  who  wanted  them  for  home 
use,  as  a  delicious  food  supply  for  the  family  during  the 
winter  months.  They  packed  them  down  in  kegs  or 
kits  in  their  off  hours. 

Great  halibut  were  often  caught,  and  besides  furnishing 
a  food  supply,  the  "  napes  "  were  always  saved  by  the 
crew,  for  smoking,  after  being  cured.  They  hung  them 
in  the  network  under  the  deck  of  the  forepeak.  On  the 
"  Ceres  "  we  had  taken  a  new  departure  in  having  a 
stove  in  the  cabin,  all  hands  living  aft,  where  all  the 
cooking  was  done.  This  innovation  was  the  death-blow 
to  the  old-fashioned  Marblehead  smoked  halibut,  although 
adding  to  the  comfort  of  the  crew. 

The  old-fashioned  forepeak,  which  was  the  foVsle, 
was  fitted  with  a  fireplace  built  of  brick  directly  under 


FISHING    ON    THE    GRAND    BANKS    119 

the  fore  scuttle,  from  whence  the  smoke  escaped,  or  was 
supposed  to,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  forepeak  was 
generally  so  filled  with  smoke  that  one  could  not  see 
across  it.  Above  the  fireplace  hung  a  heavy  iron  crane, 
from  which  was  suspended  a  huge  iron  pot  in  which  all 
the  cooking  was  done.  The  tea  and  coffee  were  made  in 
it,  the  chowder  and  meat  were  boiled  in  it,  and  it  was 
put  to  every  other  use  required  in  the  culinary  art.  To 
get  up  and  down  one  had  to  clamber  over  the  steps  made 
directly  over  the  fire,  as  best  he  could.  An  unlucky 
slip  might  land  him  in  the  pot,  but  it  was  an  ideal  place 
to  smoke  halibut,  as  any  old  Marbleheader  can  testify. 
My  old  friend  and  schoolmate,  Captain  Eben  Graves, 
used  to  tell  many  stories  of  the  times  when,  as  a  boy,  he 
went  to  the  Grand  Banks  fishing  in  the  old  quarter- 
decker  "  Decatur." 

Saturday  nights  at  six  o'clock  the  lines  were  taken  in, 
and  not  put  out  until  six  o'clock  Sunday  night,  the 
cook  being  ordered  to  prepare  a  pot  of  rice  chocolate. 
The  big  kettle  was  filled  two-thirds  full  of  water  in  which 
rice  was  boiled,  with  chocolate  added.  It  was  sweetened 
with  molasses,  and  imbibed  during  the  evening,  hot,  as 
a  great  treat,  the  occasion  being  a  gala  one,  interspersed 
with  song  and  story.  Sunday  was  a  day  for  general 
visiting  among  the  fleet  if  the  weather  was  good,  as  no 
fishing  was  carried  on. 

For  awhile  the  fishing  continued  good,  and  we  were 
doing  fine  work,  then  it  fell  off,  and  we  almost  daily 
changed  our  berth.  Gales  and  rough  weather  succeeded. 

At  the  end  of  three  months  we  had  salted  down  nearly 
sixteen  thousand  fish.  We  had  lost  all  our  fishing-anchors, 
and  as  the  snow  was  beginning  to  make  its  appearance  in 
the  squalls,  it  was  decided  by  Skipper  Nickerson  to  bend 
"  Big  Ben "  (the  large  mainsail)  and  head  for  home. 


120  OCEAN    LIFE 

With  strong  northeast  winds  the  "  Ceres  "  scudded  before 
the  gale  for  two  days,  then  light  pleasant  weather,  with 
variable  winds,  succeeded.  We  spoke  the  American  ship 
"  Esther  Barnby,"  bound  for  New  York,  with  passengers 
for  Liverpool,  supplying  her  with  fish  and  firewood,  in 
return  for  which  the  captain  sent  on  board  two  cases  of 
assorted  liquors,  which  were  divided  up  among  the  crew 
and  taken  home  for  household  use. 

Sighting  Boston  Light,  we  bore  away  for  Marblehead 
Harbor,  which  we  entered  early  in  the  morning,  home 
again! 

Not  stopping  to  wash  out  the  fish,  but  employing  a  man 
in  my  place,  I  left  my  account  to  be  settled  with  the 
owner  in  a  friend's  hands,  and  afterwards  received  some 
$300  as  my  share. 

Shipping  as  mate  of  the  brig  "  L.  &  W.  Armstrong," 
I  made  a  voyage  to  Mayaguez,  Porto  Rico,  loading  salt  at 
Turk's  Island  for  return  cargo  to  New  Haven,  where  we 
arrived  after  an  absence  of  fifty-eight  days. 

Returning  to  Boston,  I  engaged  as  first  officer  on  ship 
"  James  Guthrie,"  Captain  Chase,  bound  in  ballast  for 
Savannah.  The  crew  were  colored,  with  a  colored  boat- 
swain, a  very  good  set  of  men,  and  good  sailors.  A  week 
from  port  the  "  Guthrie  "  encountered  a  very  heavy  gale. 
The  steamer  "  San  Francisco  "  was  lost  in  this  gale,  and 
her  passengers  were  rescued  by  the  British  ship  "  Three 
Bells/'  Captain  Creighton.  For  ten  hours  we  scud 
before  it,  under  a  close-reefed  fore  topsail,  with  the  sheets 
eased  off  a  fathom  or  so,  and  two  men  at  the  wheel  with 
an  officer  conning  them  to  see  that  they  did  not  allow  her 
to  broach  to,  in  which  case,  being  so  high  out  of  water, 
she  would  undoubtedly  have  been  on  her  beam-ends  in 
a  moment. 

There  was  not  a  high  sea,  the  wind  being  so  strong  as 


FISHING   ON    THE    GRAND    BANKS    121 

to  prevent  its  rising.  It  was  covered  with  foam,  snow 
white.  We  passed  through  the  gale  without  the  loss  of 
a  rope-yarn  and  made  the  land,  coming  to  anchor  in  the 
Savannah  River  off  Tybee  Island.  Captain  Chase  went 
up  to  the  city  on  the  tug,  and  returning  the  following 
day,  we  got  under  way  and  proceeded  to  Mobile  Bay, 
rounding  Abaco  (Hole  in  the  Wall),  one  of  the  Bahama 
group. 

We  crossed  the  Great  Bahama  banks,  as  the  ship,  being 
in  ballast,  was  of  light  draught.  The  moon  was  nearly  at 
its  full,  and  the  white  sand,  only  about  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet  below  the  surface,  reflected  in  the  bright  moonlight, 
made  the  ship  appear  to  be  sailing  through  a  sea  of  milk. 
The  effect  was  beautiful. 

Passing  Havana,  we  continued  along  the  Cuban  shore 
until,  having  rounded  the  Dry  Tortugas,  a  few  days  more 
took  us  to  the  bar  of  Mobile  Bay,  which  we  crossed  and 
came  to  anchor  off  Grant's  Pass,  when  the  tug  coming 
alongside,  Captain  Chase  took  his  departure  for  town. 
He  returned  the  second  day  and  informed  me  that  the 
ship  was  chartered  to  load  square  timber  for  Ferrol, 
Spain. 

Five  weeks  passed  ere  our  timber  lading  was  completed. 
It  was  rafted  alongside,  and  taken  in  at  the  bow  ports, 
the  work  being  done  by  a  stevedore  and  his  gang.  The 
weather  was  extremely  cold  for  a  southern  climate,  ice 
forming  nights  as  thick  as  window-glass,  and  sometimes 
a  half-inch  in  thickness.  Once  a  week,  taking  a  boat's 
crew,  and  pulling  into  Grant's  Pass,  we  would  load  the 
boat  with  the  largest  and  most  delicious  oysters  ever 
tasted;  these  we  took  on  board,  filling  barrels  with  them, 
and  all  hands  were  allowed  to  help  themselves  until  they 
were  gone,  when  another  trip  would  be  made  to  load  up. 
Captain  Chase  and  family  remained  in  Mobile,  during 


122  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  ship's  stay  in  port,  the  captain  coming  down  on  the 
tug  weekly,  and  returning  at  once  to  town. 

Our  second  mate  having  been  discharged  while  in  the 
bay,  I  had  been  deputed  to  go  to  New  Orleans  and  select 
a  man  to  fill  his  position.  I  fortunately  succeeded  in  find- 
ing a  most  capital  officer  and  brought  him  over  with  me. 

We  were  now  in  readiness  for  sea.  Stores  were  taken 
on  board,  the  captain  and  his  family  came  down  on  the 
tug,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  in  tow  we  again  crossed 
the  bar,  outward  bound.  With  a  fine  northerly  wind  we 
ran  down  the  gulf,  and  on  the  third  day  after  leaving 
port,  while  engaged  in  changing  the  fore  to 'gallant  mast, 
the  bos'n  and  two  men  being  aloft,  the  cry  of  "  Land, 
ho!  "  was  called,  and  looking  ahead,  we  could  see  the 
high  part  of  the  Dry  Tortugas  above  the  horizon. 

Glancing  aft,  I  saw  Captain  Chase  with  a  spy-glass 
looking  at  it,  and  gave  it  no  more  thought,  being  busy 
with  the  work,  until  suddenly  the  ship  struck,  bringing 
up  on  a  sand-bar  with  a  force  that  drove  her  well  on, 
where  she  lay,  heeled  over,  hard  and  fast. 

Sail  was  kept  on  for  an  hour,  but  with  the  appearance 
of  a  wrecking  schooner  beating  up  to  us,  Captain  Chase 
gave  the  order  to  clew  up  and  furl  everything.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  wrecker,  the  captain  refused  assistance, 
but  next  day  made  an  arrangement  to  take  Captain  Chase 
to  Key  West,  while  I  commenced  discharging  the  timber, 
rafting  it  alongside,  after  which  anchors  were  carried  out, 
but  all  efforts  to  move  her  failed. 

After  sticking  on  the  bank  a  week,  a  towboat  came  up 
from  Key  West,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  wreckers, 
taking  advantage  of  a  very  full  tide,  she  finally  succeeded 
in  pulling  the  "  Guthrie  "  off  the  bank,  and  took  her 
in  tow  for  Key  West,  where  we  safely  arrived  and  pro- 
ceeded to  discharge  cargo  and  hold  a  survey. 


FISHING    ON    THE    GRAND    BANKS     123 

I  knew  the  delay  was  going  to  be  a  long  one,  and  I 
did  not  relish  a  stay  of  months  at  Key  West,  so  I  applied 
for  my  discharge,  the  crew  having  received  theirs,  and 
it  was  granted  by  Captain  Chase,  the  second  mate  taking 
my  place,  and  I  took  passage  on  the  barque  "  Wheeler  " 
for  Boston,  as  passenger. 


CHAPTER   XIII 
1854  -  1855 

CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT.  —  CEYLON.  —  MAURITIUS.  — 
ST.    HELENA. — NEW   ORLEANS 

ARRIVING  safely  in  Boston,  after  spending  a  week  on 
shore  I  joined  the  "  Elizabeth  Kimball,"  a  fine  large  ship 
of  between  eleven  and  twelve  hundred  tons,  half  clipper, 
as  first  officer,  Captain  Freeman  commander,  for  a  voyage 
to  Calcutta  and  return.  Loading  ice  at  Tudor's  Wharf, 
Charlestown,  the  stores  were  taken  on  board,  and  the 
crew  brought  over  from  Boston,  the  ship  leaving  the 
wharf  in  tow  of  a  tugboat.  We  had  one  passenger,  Mrs. 
Ladd,  who  was  going  out  to  join  her  husband,  who  was  a 
merchant  and  in  charge  of  the  ice-houses  at  Calcutta. 

At  this  time  the  ice  business  with  the  far  East  was  a 
great  trade.  Ice  was  carried  out  at  a  low  rate  of  freight, 
preferably  to  the  ship's  going  in  ballast,  and  bringing 
high  prices  when  retailed  from  the  ice-houses,  it  became 
a  complete  monopoly  and  paid  big  profits.  We  had  a 
pleasant  voyage  out  to  the  equator  in  the  Indian  Ocean, 
crossing  which,  and  passing  Ceylon,  we  entered  the  Bay 
of  Bengal. 

The  southwest  monsoon  prevailing,  we  encountered  high 
winds,  with  heavy  squalls,  thunder  and  lightning  with 
rain  in  torrents,  thick  gloomy  weather.  We  sailed  along 
the  west  shore,  passed  Madras,  and  made  the  land  on 

124 


CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT     125 

the  coast  of  Ganjam,  where  are  located  the  three  Jugger- 
naut pagodas,  the  central  one  containing  the  great  car 
of  Juggernaut  upon  which  is  seated  the  god  himself. 
This  temple  is  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  three 
are  a  fine  landmark  for  ships  making  for  the  pilot  brig 
lying  at  anchor  on  the  tail  of  the  sand-heads  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Hoogly  River,  upon  the  banks  of  which  stands 
the  city  of  Calcutta,  the  capital  of  India.  The  pagodas 
of  Ganjam  are  the  Mecca  for  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of 
India,  who  make  annual  pilgrimages  to  see  and  worship 
iheir  god  Juggernaut. 

In  former  times,  in  the  presence  of  tens  of  thousands, 
^he  great  car,  to  which  were  attached  huge  coir  cables, 
was  drawn  forth.  The  platform  on  which  the  image 
rests  is  thirty-four  feet  square,  and  the  sixteen  wheels 
are  six  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter.  The  upper  part  is 
decorated  with  broadcloth  in  red  and  yellow  stripes. 
The  strong  box  near  the  idol  is  the  depositary  for  his 
gold  hands  and  feet,  which,  together  with  his  shawls 
and  jewels,  are  locked  up  in  it  at  night. 

The  ropes  were  seized  by  the  assembled  throng,  and  — 
the  land  about  the  pagodas  being  perfectly  level  — 
the  immense  image  was  drawn  over  the  plains,  with  the 
great  multitude  shouting  and  singing,  and  beseeching 
their  god  to  grant  them  his  favor.  Every  little  while 
some  devotee  would  cast  himself  before  the  wheels, 
which  would  pass  over  and  crush  him,  when  hun- 
dreds of  the  worshippers  would  rush  forward  to  dip 
a  handkerchief,  or  some  other  article,  in  the  blood  of 
the  victim,  while  a  mighty  shout  would  go  up  from  the 
throng,  at  this  act  of  devotion.  The  British  government 
has  long  since  stopped  these  self-sacrifices,  and  India, 
to-day,  through  a  wise  government,  and  the  efforts  of 
the  missionary  societies,  has  greatly  altered. 


126  OCEAN   LIFE 

Leaving  Ganjam,  we  made  out  the  pilot  brig  the  fol- 
lowing night,  and  taking  a  pilot  on  board,  passed  Saugor 
Island,  and  entered  the  Hoogly  River,  coming  to  anchor 
off  Kedgeree,  the  pilot  station.  A  fine  lighthouse  stands 
on  Saugor  Island,  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence  as  a 
protection  against  the  tigers  with  which  the  island  is 
infested.  The  Hoogly  is  a  dangerous  river,  having  a 
very  swift  current,  with  obstructions  in  parts  of  it,  which 
might  prove  fatal  to  a  ship  if  she  took  the  ground.  The 
pilots  are  a  most  skilful  class  of  men  in  the  management 
of  a  ship,  having  to  serve  a  long  apprenticeship  as  leads- 
man, second  mate  pilot,  mate  pilot,  and  finally  master 
pilot,  their  term  of  service  to  master  pilot  covering  some 
twenty  years,  during  which  time  it  is  necessary  to  make 
two  voyages  to  England,  to  become  perfectly  conversant 
with  the  workings  of  a  ship.  What  they  did  not  know 
about  the  working  of  a  ship  in  a  tideway,  or  swift  current, 
was  not  worth  knowing.  From  the  moment  they  stepped 
on  board,  followed  by  their  leadsmen  and  servants, 
their  orders  were  law. 

Leaving  Kedgeree,  the  ship  proceeded  up  the  river, 
at  times  doing  tide  work,  and  passing  Diamond  Harbor, 
and  the  James  and  Mary  Shoals,  safely,  we  arrived  off 
Garden  Reach,  lined  with  elegant  residences,  among  them 
the  palace  of  the  King  of  Oudh,  passing  which  we  came 
to  anchor  off  Calcutta. 

Along  the  water  front  of  the  city  are  great  mooring 
buoys,  where  the  ships  lie  in  tiers  of  twos  or  threes.  The 
landings  opposite  these  tiers,  running  up  the  bank  from 
the  river's  edge,  are  called  "  ghauts."  Going  into  moorings 
in  the  inner  tier  to  discharge  our  ice,  a  bridge  of  boats 
was  made,  with  a  plank  walk  about  four  feet  wide,  from 
the  bank  to  the  ship,  the  ice  blocks  being  hoisted  from 
the  hold  and  lowered  over  the  ship's  side  upon  the  heads 


CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT     127 

of  three  coolies  sta.tioned  to  receive  them.  It  was  very 
hot,  and  the  moment  the  cold  ice  water  began  to  trickle 
down  their  black  backs,  they  would  shiver,  and  strike 
a  bee  line  for  the  ice-house,  never  stopping  until  their 
load  was  off  their  heads.  During  the  discharging  our 
ship  was  a  popular  resort  for  all  the  officers  of  the  sur- 
rounding ships,  and  iced  drinks  were  concocted  in  every 
shape.  Barrels  of  apples  that  were  buried  in  the  sawdust 
in  the  hold  were  found  when  opened  at  the  ice-house  to 
be  in  good  condition,  the  apples  readily  bringing  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  each. 

While  the  ice  lasted,  we  had  no  end  of  visitors. 

Captain  Freeman  lived  on  shore  while  the  ship  lay  in 
port,  and  drove  down  daily  in  his  buggy,  coming  on 
board  for  an  hour  or  so. 

Calcutta,  the  capital  of  British  India,  is  the  chief 
commercial  centre  of  Asia,  and  contains  many  institu- 
tions of  learning.  The  spirit  of  caste  is  strong,  and  the 
contrast  between  the  wealthy  class  and  the  masses,  who 
suffer  the  most  abject  poverty,  is  very  sharply  drawn 
and  painfully  evident. 

Here  is  situated  the  residence  of  the  English  viceroy, 
a  building  of  great  magnificence,  built  on  four  sides  of 
a  beautiful  garden.  The  Maidan,  an  esplanade  extending 
a  few  miles  along  the  river,  forms  a  fashionable  promenade, 
and  parade  ground  for  the  military.  One  of  its  finest 
streets,  otherwise  unexceptionable,  but  without  shade 
trees,  is  called  "  Clive  "  after  a  British  nobleman  who 
was  prominent  in  the  acquisition  of  the  territory  of  India, 
and  the  subjugation  of  her  people  to  the  British  Crown. 
In  the  heated  term  most  of  the  English  residents  leave 
the  city,  in  which  the  mercury  sometimes  rises  to  120° 
in  the  shade,  and  breathe  the  cooler  atmosphere  of  the 
Himalayas,  the  nearest  range  being  about  1,200  miles 


128  OCEAN   LIFE 

from  Calcutta.  Those  who  are  compelled  to  remain  in 
the  city,  seek  after  sunset  the  cool  breezes  of  the  esplanade. 

The  natives  moved  about  freely  in  the  extreme  heat, 
being  clothed  entirely  in  white  as  a  protection  from  the 
sun's  fierce  rays,  their  heads  protected  by  immense  white 
turbans.  Although  the  presence  of  European  characteris- 
tics might  be  noted  in  almost  every  prominent  street, 
Hindooism  forced  itself  upon  the  attention  against  the 
strong  background  of  English  prejudice  and  customs, 
and  bodies  were  cremated  at  the  burning  ghauts,  while 
the  ashes  and  partly  burned  remains  were  thrown  into 
the  river  as  of  old.  It  was  a  common  thing  in  the  morning 
to  clear  away  four  or  five  corpses  from  the  ship's  gangway. 

With  the  exception  of  a  ride  along  the  strand  on 
Sunday  afternoons,  there  was  very  little  shore  visiting, 
it  was  so  hot  and  sultry.  The  atmosphere,  charged  with 
moisture,  made  it  anything  but  pleasant  to  go  around 
sightseeing,  and  the  officers  found  it  much  more  to  their 
taste  remaining  on  board,  or  visiting  from  ship  to  ship 
among  themselves.  These  gatherings  in  the  evenings  on 
board  some  of  their  respective  ships  were  jolly  affairs, 
and  highly  enjoyed  by  all. 

Having  taken  on  a  cargo  of  jute,  saltpetre,  and  other 
products  of  India,  in  due  course  our  lading  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  ship  unmoored,  and  hauled  into  the 
stream  in  charge  of  the  harbor  pilot.  Dropping  down  to 
Garden  Reach  below  the  city,  we  came  to  anchor,  awaiting 
the  coming  on  board  of  the  captain  and  river  pilot,  who 
made  their  appearance  on  the  following  morning,  when 
the  anchor  was  weighed  and  the  ship  proceeded  down 
the  river. 

Five  days  later,  we  passed  Saugor,  discharging  our 
pilot  at  the  pilot  brig,  and  the  ship  commenced  her  beat 
down  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  against  a  strong  southwest 


CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT     129 

monsoon.  Very  bad  weather  prevailed,  with  high  winds 
and  fierce  squalls,  copious  rains  accompanied  by  vivid 
lightning  and  heavy  thunder,  compelling  the  carrying 
of  short  canvas,  double  and  close  reefs  a  part  of  the  time, 
while  the  heavy  seas  made  progress  slow,  and  three 
weeks  elapsed  ere  we  were  up  with  Ceylon.  Gradually 
the  weather  grew  better  after  getting  south  of  the  Anda- 
man Islands. 

One  night,  when  off  the  southern  end  of  Ceylon,  we  were 
sailing  with  a  smooth  sea  and  an  eight-knot  breeze,  the 
moon  being  near  its  full,  and  about  four  bells  in  the  mid- 
watch,  while  sitting  on  the  weather  side  watching  the 
ship's  progress,  and  admiring  the  beauty  of  the  night, 
the  ship  suddenly  seemed  to  stop,  the  sails  that  had  been 
rounded  out  asleep  flapped  violently,  back  and  forth, 
and  there  was  a  rumbling  sound  that  seemed  to  proceed 
from  the  hold,  with  a  trembling  throughout,  as  though 
the  keel  was  dragging  across  a  reef.  For  a  moment  I  was 
startled,  thinking  we  had  struck  a  shoal,  but  an  instant's 
reflection  convinced  me  there  were  no  shoals  in  that 
vicinity,  and  it  flashed  upon  my  mind  that  we  had 
experienced  a  submarine  earthquake,  and  a  severe  shock 
at  that. 

Captain  Freeman  rushed  on  deck,  as  well  as  the  watch, 
but  finding  no  cause  for  alarm,  again  went  below. 

Taking  the  S.  E.  trades  fresh,  the  course  was  shaped  for 
the  south  end  of  Madagascar,  when  the  ship  sprung  a 
leak  that  made  lively  work  at  the  pumps.  The  heavy 
seas  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  against  which  the  ship  had 
been  driven,  had  started  the  wood  ends  about  the  water- 
line,  causing  the  oakum  to  work  out,  developing  a  leak 
which  grew  worse  daily  until  it  took  two  thousand  strokes 
per  hour  to  keep  her  free.  As  the  leak  was  known  to  be 
just  below  the  water-line,  alongside  the  stem,  Captain 


130  OCEAN    LIFE 

Freeman  decided  to  touch  at  Mauritius,  an  island  in  the 
Indian  Ocean  about  five  hundred  miles  east  of  Madagascar, 
and  without  entering  Port  Louis,  come  to  anchor  in 
smooth  water  just  outside  the  port,  when,  by  shifting 
everything  aft,  bringing  the  leak  out  of  water,  it  could 
be  got  at  and  stopped.  This  was  successfully  accom- 
plished. Raising  the  island  in  the  forenoon,  we  ran  in 
for  the  port,  and  dropped  anchor  in  smooth  water. 

Rolling  all  water  casks  aft,  bringing  the  stem  out  so 
the  carpenter  could  get  to  work,  before  night  the  leak  was 
stopped,  and  gave  us  no  more  trouble  during  the  home- 
ward voyage.  It  was  a  good  piece  of  work. 

Mauritius  was  discovered  by  the  Portuguese  in  1505, 
and  came  into  possession  of  the  British  in  1814.  Port 
Louis,  the  capital,  has  a  population  of  about  65,000.  It 
has  a  considerable  trade,  its  chief  export  being  raw  sugar. 

Getting  under  way  in  the  early  morning,  we  passed 
Reunion,  or  Bourbon  Isle,  lying  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  southwest  from  Mauritius,  that  evening.  This 
island  has  an  active  volcano,  upwards  of  10,000  feet  in 
height,  which  was  in  a  state  of  eruption  as  we  passed. 
The  molten  lava  was  distinctly  visible  running  down  its 
sides  in  rivers  of  flame,  presenting  a  most  beautiful 
appearance,  as  seen  from  the  ship. 

Passing  Madagascar,  we  soon  sighted  the  land  east  of 
Cape  Agulhas,  and  taking  a  stiff  gale,  we  stood  to  the 
southward,  and  rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  two 
days  later,  the  "  Elizabeth  Kimball  "  passed  St.  Helena 
in  ten  days  from  the  Cape. 

This  island,  famous  for  being  the  prison  of  Napoleon  I. 
from  1815  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1821,  lies  about 
1,200  miles  west  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  It  has  an  area 
of  47  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  about  two  thou- 
sand, and  is  an  important  coaling  station. 


CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT     131 

Fine  S.  E.  trades  prevailing,  we  made  good  progress 
towards  the  equator,  all  hands  being  busily  employed  in 
the  usual  ship's  work  described  in  the  foregoing  chapters. 
Crossing  the  line,  we  experienced  a  few  days  of  light  winds 
with  rain  squalls,  then  the  trades,  when  tarring  down, 
painting  and  putting  the  ship  in  fine  shape  for  our  home 
port  was  the  order  of  the  day. 

Having  passed  the  Bermudas  and  the  Gulf  Stream, 
we  struck  soundings,  heading  for  the  South  Channel 
between  Georges  Banks  and  Cape  Cod. 

Favoring  winds,  but  foggy  weather,  prevailing,  we  were 
bowling  along  about  eight  bells  in  the  last  dog-watch, 
when  the  ship  struck  on  the  south  shoal  of  the  island  of 
Nantucket,  with  a  force  that  startled  all  hands. 

"  Hard  up!  "  came  the  order,  and  the  "  Elizabeth 
Kimball "  responded.  She  never  fully  stopped,  but 
dragging  through  the  sand,  paid  off,  and  in  a  few  moments 
was  clear  from  the  shoal,  having  just  scraped  its  outer 
edge,  and  sustained  no  serious  damage.  The  fog  pre- 
vented our  seeing  anything.  It  was  a  narrow  squeak, 
but  in  this  case,  "  a  miss  was  as  good  as  a  mile." 

Rounding  Cape  Cod  Light  the  following  morning,  and 
taking  a  pilot  on  board,  passing  Boston  Light  and  the 
islands  of  the  harbor,  we  let  go  our  anchor  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two  days  from  Calcutta. 

The  cargo  having  been  discharged  and  crew  paid  off, 
I  spent  a  few  weeks  at  Marblehead,  and  then  joined  the 
barque  "  Glen  "  as  mate  for  a  voyage  to  New  Orleans. 
We  loaded  at  Rockland,  Maine,  with  lime.  Nearly  four 
months  were  occupied  on  this  voyage,  the  greater  part 
being  spent  at  New  Orleans,  where  an  epidemic  of  yellow 
fever  was  raging.  Captain  Samuel  Prentiss  having  left 
the  barque  in  Rockland,  he  was  succeeded  by  Captain 
Green  of  Portland,  who  was  laid  up  in  hospital  at  New 


132  OCEAN    LIFE 

Orleans  for  over  a  month,  with  the  yellow  fever.  The 
second  officer  and  myself  were  the  only  ones  on  board, 
the  crew  having  left  on  arrival. 

Neither  of  us  took  the  fever,  which  may  have  been  on 
account  of  our  cargo.  The  lime  having  shrunk  the 
barrels  so  that  they  literally  fell  to  pieces,  the  best  part 
of  the  cargo  had  to  be  shovelled  out.  The  lime  was  all 
over  everything,  and  in  every  corner  and  crevice  of  the 
ship.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  men,  it  was  a  long  time 
before  it  could  be  discharged.  The  death  rate,  while  we 
were  lying  in  the  port,  was  from  five  hundred  to  seven 
hundred  daily,  but  by  the  latter  part  of  September  it 
began  to  abate. 

Loading  molasses  for  Boston,  on  October  12th,  we  took 
our  departure  from  the  city  in  tow,  and  reaching  the  bar 
the  next  morning,  I  never  sniffed  anything  so  delicious 
as  the  cool,  salt  breezes  that  came  from  the  gulf,  laden 
with  a  saline  fragrance  that  we  inhaled  in  long  draughts, 
grateful  enough  to  our  senses,  after  having  been  penned 
up  in  New  Orleans  nearly  all  summer  with  an  epidemic 
of  yellow  fever  raging.  We  came  to  anchor  for  twenty- 
four  hours  to  see  if  any  new  cases  developed,  and  finding 
none,  we  got  under  way,  and  proceeded  on  our  voyage. 

Entering  the  bay,  and  making  Boston  Light,  when 
within  two  or  three  miles  we  hove  to  for  a  pilot. 

The  weather  was  cold  and  raw,  with  indications  of 
snow,  and  shortly  after  midnight  it  began  to  fall  and  the 
wind  to  rise,  when,  seeing  no  chance  of  a  pilot  and  the 
light  beginning  to  shut  in  with  the  snow,  Captain  Green, 
after  a  consultation  with  me,  concluded  to  run  in  without 
a  pilot.  Keeping  her  off,  we  passed  the  light  and  kept 
a  sharp  lookout  for  the  buoy  on  the  tail  of  the  Centurion 
Shoal,  when  picking  it  up,  the  barque  was  rounded  to 
under  the  lee  of  George's  Island,  coming  to  anchor  in  the 


CALCUTTA.  —  JUGGERNAUT     133 

roads.  By  daylight  it  was  raining  and  blowing  hard, 
but  procuring  a  towboat,  we  picked  up  our  anchor, 
and  inside  of  two  hours  made  fast  alongside  of  Battery 
Wharf. 


CHAPTER   XTV 

1856  -  1857 
CAPTAIN  MEACOM'S  IDEAS. — OBSERVANCE  OF  THE  SABBATH. 

SOCIAL  LIFE   IN  CALCUTTA.  —  ANIMAL  LIFE    ON    SHIP- 
BOARD 

ABOUT  ten  days  after  my  return,  I  met  Captain  Edward 
Meacom  of  Beverly,  then  commanding  the  ship  "  Brutus," 
and  I  engaged  with  him  as  first  officer,  for  a  voyage  to 
Calcutta  and  return,  reporting  for  duty  on  the  ship,  which 
lay  at  Charlestown,  loading  ice  at  Tudor's  Wharf.  The 
"  Brutus  "  was  a  fine  ship  of  about  a  thousand  tons 
burthen;  a  regular  Calcutta  trader.  This  would  be 
Captain  Meacom's  seventeenth  consecutive  voyage  to 
that  port.  It  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and 
agreeable  voyages  I  ever  made  as  chief  officer. 

Captain  Meacom  was  the  most  genial  and  gentlemanly 
of  shipmasters. 

A  sailor,  every  inch  of  him,  a  good  disciplinarian, 
never  profane  or  overbearing,  treating  officers  and  men 
in  a  manner  that  endeared  them  to  him,  yet  exacting 
perfect  obedience  to  orders,  and  permitting  no  undue 
familiarity.  , 

Our  ice  lading  completed,  and  stores  taken  in,  the 
crew  came  on  board.  It  comprised  fourteen  able  seamen, 
two  ordinary,  and  four  boys,  the  latter  from  Beverly 
and  all  known  to  Captain  Meacom,  who  took  a  great 
interest  in  them.  The  officers,  besides  myself,  were  Mr. 

134 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  135 

Edmund  Kimball,  second,  with  Mr.  Frank  Rogers,  a 
nephew  of  Captain  Meacom,  as  third  mate.  A  carpenter, 
cook  and  steward  completed  our  ship's  complement. 
Sailing  with  brisk  westerly  winds,  rounding  Cape  Cod, 
and  passing  out  of  the  South  Channel,  we  entered  the 
Gulf  Stream,  where  the  nose  of  the  "  Brutus  "  was  pointed 
to  the  eastward,  and,  favored  by  fresh,  westerly  gales, 
the  old  ship  made  good  time  towards  the  region  of  the 
N.  E.  trades. 

Getting  into  good  steady  weather,  one  evening  in  the 
dog-watch  Captain  Meacom  and  I  had  a  long  talk,  and 
he  gave  me  his  ideas  relative  not  only  to  the  work  on 
shipboard,  but  the  course  to  be  pursued  with  the  boys 
and  crew,  to  make  everything  pleasant  on  a  long  voyage, 
saying  that  much  depended  on  the  officers.  He  would 
give  the  men  all  privileges  consistent  with  good  discipline, 
but  a  firm,  steady  course  of  the  same  to  be  adhered  to, 
and  no  abuse  of  men,  no  cursing  or  profanity  allowed 
or  practised  by  officers.  An  order  given  must  be  obeyed 
at  once,  and  while  kind  to  the  crew,  the  officers  should 
permit  no  familiarity.  They  should  have  good  food  and 
plenty  of  it,  with  plenty  of  work  and  no  idle  moments 
for  the  men  when  on  duty. 

Saturday  afternoon  was  to  be  given  Jack  to  get  the 
foVsle  washed  out,  and  do  his  own  washing  and  mending, 
so  there  could  be  no  excuse  for  doing  this  work  on  the 
Sabbath.  Sunday  was  to  be  a  day  of  rest,  no  work 
permitted  except  making,  taking  in,  and  trimming  of 
sails,  while  Sunday  morning,  weather  permitting,  divine 
service  was  to  be  held  on  the  quarter-deck,  which  all 
hands,  dressed  neatly,  would  be  required  to  attend. 

The  booby  hatch,  covered  with  the  American  ensign, 
on  which  was  to  be  placed  the  Bible  and  prayer-book, 
would  be  the  reading-desk. 


136  OCEAN   LIFE 

All  this  was  something  new  in  my  seagoing  experience, 
I  never  having  served  on  a  ship  where  services  were  held 
on  the  Sabbath.  I,  however,  acquiesced,  telling  Captain 
Meacom  that  I  believed  the  idea  a  good  one.  He  wished, 
also,  to  have  a  school  for  the  boys  to  attend  and  study 
navigation,  open  to  any  one  who  wished  to  do  so.  Mr. 
Frank  Rogers,  third  officer,  who  was  a  good  scholar  and 
a  fine  mathematician,  was  to  have  charge  and  coach  the 
boys,  while  I  superintended  the  arrangement  generally. 

The  steerage  under  the  booby  hatch  having  been  cleared, 
a  room  with  bunks  around  it  was  fitted  up  by  "  Chips  " 
(the  carpenter)  as  quarters  for  the  boys,  ordinaries  and 
carpenter;  Captain  Meacom  deeming  it  better  for  them, 
as  well  as  for  the  purposes  of  study,  that  they  should  live 
separate  from  the  crew,  but  in  no  sense  as  an  afterguard. 

Taking  the  trades,  the  weather  was  superb,  flying-fish 
in  shoals,  while  dolphin,  bonita  and  albecore  were 
caught  almost  daily,  affording  a  table  supply  of  fresh 
fish,  fore  and  aft.  The  first  Sabbath  for  Sunday  service 
arrived,  causing  a  ripple  of  excitement  throughout  the 
ship.  I  had  notified  the  crew  Saturday  afternoon  that 
services  would  be  held  on  the  quarter-deck  the  following 
morning  from  ten  to  eleven  o'clock,  and  every  man  was 
requested,  unless  sick,  to  be  present,  neatly  dressed. 
Every  officer  would  attend,  and  they  would  expect  to  see 
every  man  present. 

Sunday  was  a  beautiful  day,  trades  steady,  not  over 
strong,  light,  fleecy  clouds  around  the  horizon,  and  a 
quiet  Sabbath  hush  pervading  the  ship. 

At  9.30,  chairs  for  Captain  Meacom  and  officers  were 
brought  from  the  cabin  by  the  steward  and  placed  about 
the  booby  hatch,  and  on  the  stroke  of  four  bells  (10  A.  M.), 
the  order  was  passed  by  Mr.  Kimball,  "  All  hands  aft 
to  attend  service!  " 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  137 

The  men  responded  by  filing  aft,  seating  themselves 
on  the  spare  spars  lashed  along  the  waterways.  All 
were  clean,  and  neatly  dressed,  presenting  a  good  appear- 
ance, an  expectant  look  on  most  of  their  faces,  showing 
this  was  an  entirely  new  departure  in  their  logs,  but  with 
all  a  most  respectful  demeanor. 

Captain  Meacom,  when  all  were  seated,  made  a  good, 
fatherly  address,  pointing  out  to  the  men  how  much  time 
was  wasted  in  a  sailor's  life,  that  could  be  put  to  a  good 
use;  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath,  both  ashore  and 
afloat;  that  the  day  was  appointed  by  God  as  a  day  of 
rest,  and  for  the  worship  of  the  Heavenly  Father;  that 
when  they  spent  the  day  seeking  their  own  pleasure  and 
gratification  rather  than  in  a  manner  suitable  to  His  holy 
will,  they  were  robbing  no  less  a  personage  than  the 
Almighty  Himself.  If  they  would  only  take  this  to  heart 
and  impress  it  upon  themselves,  there  would  be  no  danger 
of  their  trifling  away  the  hours  that  God  had  set  apart 
for  His  own  glory,  and  His  creatures'  good. 

He  dwelt  upon  the  brevity  in  general  of  a  sailor's 
life,  and  the  importance  of  being  at  all  times  prepared 
for  the  great  change,  and  said  he  would  read  some  selected 
passages  of  Scripture  and  prayers  from  the  ritual  for 
"  services  at  sea,"  ending  with  a  hymn,  after  which  good 
books  from  the  ship's  library  would  be  distributed  among 
them,  to  be  exchanged  each  Sunday,  or  as  soon  as  read. 

The  men  listened  respectfully  throughout  the  services, 
and  at  six  bells  (11  A.  M.)  all  hands  were  dismissed, 
seeming  to  have  enjoyed  the  meeting  very  much. 

These  Sunday  gatherings  were  observed  weekly,  until 
the  weather  rendered  it  inconvenient  to  hold  them,  and 
the  library  was  always  open  for  books. 

In  the  meantime  the  school  of  navigation  prospered. 
The  boys  could  "  fudge  "  (get  through)  a  day's  work, 


138  OCEAN   LIFE 

while  all  were  required  to  keep  a  log,  or  journal,  which 
was  open  to  inspection  by  Mr.  Rogers,  and  looked  over 
by  myself  as  often  as  once  a  week,  all  errors  corrected 
and  suggestions  made. 

Entering  the  doldrums  (the  space  between  the  north- 
east and  southeast  trades  at  the  equator),  light  airs  from 
all  quarters  were  experienced,  with  calms  and  rain  squalls, 
accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning. 

Waterspouts  were  frequent,  no  less  than  eight  being 
sighted  one  afternoon;  one  of  them  quite  near  the  ship. 
Waterspouts,  being  miniature  tornadoes  on  the  water,  are 
ugly  things  to  come  in  contact  with,  a  wreckage  of  spars, 
at  least,  is  a  pretty  sure  result  of  one  crossing  a  ship. 

After  a  week's  delay,  taking  the  S.  E.  trades  fresh, 
the  "  Brutus  "  made  good  time  south. 

Each  night  new  stars  and  constellations  appeared  in 
the  heavens,  while  the  "  Southern  Cross  "  and  "  Magellan 
clouds  "  shone  resplendent  in  the  dark  blue  sky. 

From  early  boyhood  astronomy  possessed  a  fascination 
for  me.  I  would  pass  hours  at  night  studying  the  heavenly 
bodies  with  the  greatest  delight,  and  in  later  years,  at 
sea,  to  me  it  was  the  greatest  mystery  how  any  one  who 
had  had  the  privilege  of  looking  upon  the  nightly  glories 
of  the  firmament,  in  the  northern  and  southern  hemi- 
spheres, could  ever  doubt  the  existence  of  a  divine  being, 
an  all-wise  ruler  of  the  universe. 

It  was  a  pleasure  to  talk  over  with  the  boys  the  names 
of  constellations,  with  the  magnitudes  of  different  stars 
and  planets,  and  impart  what  little  knowledge  I  possessed 
of  astronomy,  but  the  approach  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  the  advent  of  strong  gales  with  rough  weather, 
put  an  end  to  our  star-gazing  for  the  time  being. 

Crossing  the  meridian  of  the  Cape,  the  "  Brutus " 
drove  on  before  fine  westerly  gales,  accompanied  by  snow 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  139 

and  hail  squalls,  covering  between  two  hundred  and  three 
hundred  miles  daily. 

Passing  the  rocky  islets  of  St.  Paul  and  Amsterdam, 
Arhich  are  of  volcanic  origin,  we  bore  away  north  for  the 
S.  E.  trades  and  the  equator.  The  youngsters  by  this 
time  had  made  good  use  of  their  hours  below,  and  could 
take  a  meridian  observation  and  find  their  latitude  at 
noon,  take  a  morning  or  afternoon  sight,  finding  their 
longitude  by  chronometer  time,  and  keep  the  run  of  the 
ship  almost  as  well  as  the  officers.  Their  journals  were  well 
kept,  much  to  Captain  Meacom's  satisfaction,  who  often 
remarked,  "  The  time  given  to  these  boys,  Mr.  Whidden, 
will  be  repaid  in  the  knowledge  that  they  will  be  fitted 
for  their  profession.  These  boys  in  time  will  become 
officers  and  rise  to  the  command  of  our  ships,  and  in  case 
of  trouble  with  foreign  nations,  our  ships  will  become 
the  nurseries  of  seamen  for  our  navy,  and  if  every  ship- 
master would  take  three  or  four  boys  each  voyage,  good 
boys  of  good  families,  give  them  time  to  study,  and  devote 
attention  to  their  training,  in  a  few  years  a  change  for 
the  better  would  appear,  a  great  improvement  in  our 
merchant  marine  would  result,  and  in  time  of  war  our 
country  would  be  the  gainer." 

These  words  of  Captain  Meacom,  in  1856,  seemed  pro- 
phetic in  view  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  1861, 
when  the  United  States  Navy  was  largely  recruited  from 
the  merchant  marine. 

We  passed  up  the  Bay  of  Bengal  on  the  last  end  of 
the  southwest  monsoon,  and  experienced  light  winds 
and  generally  pleasant  weather.  We  made  the  pilot 
brig,  and  taking  a  pilot  on  board,  an  old  acquaintance 
of  Captain  Meacom,  entered  the  Hoogly,  proceeding  up 
the  river.  A  Hindoo  religious  festival  was  being  held 
at  Saugor  Island,  and  the  river  was  covered  with  boats 


140  OCEAN    LIFE 

decorated  with  flowers  containing  gaily  dressed  natives, 
male  and  female,  all  bound  for  the  island  to  take  part 
in  the  rites.  These  consisted,  in  part,  of  offering  their 
female  children  to  the  immense  crocodiles  that  swarmed 
in  the  waters  of  the  Hoogly  and  especially  around 
Saugor  at  this  time.  The  cries  and  shrieks  of  the  victims 
were  drowned  in  the  music  and  shouting  of  the  multitude. 

This  custom  of  sacrificing  female  children  has  since  been 
done  away  with  by  the  government. 

Arrived  at  Calcutta,  the  "  Brutus  "  went  into  moorings, 
and  made  ready  to  discharge  her  cargo  of  ice,  and  the 
northeast  monsoon  setting  in,  the  cool  season  was  inaugu- 
rated, making  life  more  endurable  than  on  my  former 
visit. 

Calcutta  in  the  northeast  monsoon  is  a  very  different 
place  from  what  it  is  when  the  southwest  monsoon  pre- 
vails. It  was  now  cool,  delightful  weather,  and  we 
indulged  in  more  shore  excursions  than  on  my  former 
trip.  On  a  visit  to  the  botanical  gardens  lying  on  the 
opposite  bank  and  down  the  river  a  few  miles,  we  saw, 
among  other  objects  of  interest,  the  great  banyan  tree, 
described  by  Milton,  as, 

"  Branching  so  broad  and  long,  that  in  the  ground 
The  bending  twigs  take  root:  and  daughters  grow 
About  the  mother  tree;  a  pillared  shade, 
High  overarched,  with  echoing  walls  between." 

An  army  of  ten  thousand  could  repose  beneath  its 
branches. 

Although  called  a  single  tree,  in  reality  it  is  a  great 
many.  As  the  branches  shoot  out  from  the  parent  stem 
or  trunk,  offshoots  from  them  descend  into  the  earth 
and  take  root;  these  in  turn  grow  and  send  out  more 
shoots,  which  descend  and  take  root,  until  from  a  single 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  141 

trunk  an  immense  space  is  covered,  and  the  banyan  tree 
becomes  the  home  of  millions  of  birds  of  every  description, 
with  colonies  of  monkeys,  while  beneath  its  grateful 
shade  the  native  finds  protection  from  the  scorching  rays 
of  the  midday  sun. 

During  the  discharging  of  our  ice  cargo,  as  in  the 
"  Elizabeth  Kimball,"  we  had  lots  of  visitors,  and  iced 
lemonade  and  other  concoctions  were  much  in  evidence 
while  the  ice  lasted.  The  reunions  aboard  each  other's 
ships  in  the  evenings  were  scenes  of  hilarity  and  good- 
fellowship.  The  ship  on  which  a  gathering  was  to  be  held 
on  any  particular  occasion  was  always  in  readiness  to 
receive,  the  officer  taking  a  pride  in  having  everything 
in  good  shape,  generally  a  nice  spread,  with  all  incidentals 
conductive  to  a  jolly  time,  but  everything  within  the 
bounds  of  decorum  and  good  order.  Well  I  remember 
our  visits  to  the  good  old  ship  "  Walpole,"  Captain  Wood- 
bury  of  Beverly,  whose  specialty  was  baked  beans,  and 
his  first  officer  always  had  several  pots  ready  baked  to 
set  before  us.  They  were  cooked  in  old  New  England 
style,  that  could  not  be  obtained  outside  its  limits  except 
by  a  cook  who  had  served  his  apprenticeship  in  Beverly 
or  Marblehead,  and  the  cook  of  the  "  Walpole  "  was  a 
native  of  the  former  town.  With  what  gusto  we  cleared 
the  table;  after  which  Mr.  Lovering  might  have  made 
use  of  the  exclamation  attributed  to  old  Mrs.  Humphrey 
of  Marblehead.  Mrs.  Humphrey  kept  a  boarding-house 
in  the  old  town,  and  when  one  of  her  boarders  asked  for 
more  beans,  while  several  others  waited  expectantly, 
she  ladled  out  the  last  spoonful  in  the  dish,  and  beaming 
around  the  table,  exclaimed,  "There!  I  calculated  on 
just  enough  to  a  bean!  " 

The  buggy  rides  along  the  strand  (river  front),  on  a 
Sunday  afternoon,  were  charming.  The  road  leading 


142  OCEAN    LIFE 

along  the  river's  bank  gave  a  fine  opportunity  of  viewing 
all  the  shipping  in  port,  each  ship  decked  out  with  its 
national  colors  and  numeral  flags,  making  a  fine  show. 
One  was  constantly  passing  the  most  elegant  equipages 
of  the  wealthy  English  residents.  Fine  carriages  con- 
taining army  and  navy  officers  in  their  rich  uniforms 
rolled  smoothly  along  over  the  finest  of  roads,  while 
wealthy  natives  and  baboos  (merchants),  in  gorgeous 
costumes,  mingled  with  the  throng,  each  carriage  having 
its  native  coachman  and  footman  clad  in  immaculate 
white  with  great  snowy  turbans,  while  the  native  syce, 
or  groom,  that  accompanied  each  equipage,  carriage  or 
humble  buggy,  ran  ahead  of  the  vehicle,  waving  his  arms 
and  shouting  in  Hindostanee: 

"Clear  the  way,  clear  the  way!  make  room  for  the 
Sahib!  " 

After  the  afternoon  drive  the  English  residents  take 
their  bath  and  prepare  for  dinner,  the  meal  of  the  day. 
In  fashionable  society  these  are  generally  "  swell " 
affairs. 

Both  officers  and  boys  on  the  "  Brutus  "  had  ample 
opportunity  of  shore  visiting  while  in  port,  and  the  crew 
had  their  shore  leave  each  Sunday  in  alternate  watches, 
being  well  supplied  with  liberty  money.  During  our 
stay  in  port  I  never  saw  any  drinking,  or  a  crew  less 
inclined  to  dissipation  on  shore. 

We  loaded  with  the  usual  Calcutta  cargo,  jute  butts, 
etc.,  and  were  again  ready  for  sea.  Captain  Meacom, 
who  always  liked  fresh  milk  night  and  morning  in  his 
tea  and  coffee,  brought  from  home  a  milch  goat,  and 
another  was  procured  for  the  return  voyage,  in  addition 
to  which  was  a  large  stock  of  pigs,  goats,  geese,  ducks, 
chickens,  and  a  big  flock  of  pigeons,  fantails  and  other 
kinds.  Captain  Meacom  believed  in  having  plenty  of 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  143 

live  stock  on  board,  and  when  it  could  be  obtained  as 
cheaply  as  in  Calcutta,  always  laid  in  a  big  supply.  The 
decks  were  literally  packed  with  coops  and  pig-pens. 

In  addition  to  stock,  the  boys  and  crew  had  great 
numbers  of  pets,  —  comprising  cockatoos,  parrots,  minas 
and  Java  sparrows,  besides  a  few  monkeys  of  various 
sizes. 

Sailing  down  the  river  with  a  fair  wind,  we  passed  the 
James  and  Mary  Shoals,  Diamond  Harbor,  Kedgeree, 
and  Saugor  Island,  discharged  the  pilot  at  the  pilot 
station,  and  with  fine  weather  and  a  fair  wind  proceeded 
down  the  bay. 

What  a  change  from  our  passage  down  in  the  "  Eliza- 
beth Kimball,"  when  gales,  torrential  rains,  thunder 
and  lightning  prevailed,  with  tremendous  seas  into  which 
the  ship  drove,  straining  in  every  timber  day  after  day. 
Now,  fine,  beautiful  weather  with  clear  skies,  sea  as 
smooth,  almost,  as  a  pond,  and  great  water  snakes 
swimming  about  in  all  directions,  with  occasionally  a  big 
turtle  asleep  on  the  water. 

We  passed  Ceylon  with  its  spicy  breezes,  and  crossed 
the  equator  in  ten  days  from  the  pilot  brig;  taking  the 
trades  not  over  strong,  our  course  was  shaped  for  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Nothing  of  note  occurred  untiJ 
nearly  up  with  Cape  Agulhas. 

On  our  passage  down  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  Captain 
Meacom  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  model  house  for 
the  stock  that  would  do  away  with  the  great  number  of 
coops  scattered  about  the  deck,  and  confine  all  in  one 
space,  yet  have  them  separate  from  each  other. 

Utilizing  the  capstan  on  the  main  deck,  the  carpenter 
inserted  joists  into  the  handspike-holes.  These  joists 
extended  nearly  to  each  side,  leaving  a  good  passageway 
between,  and  coming,  also,  within  two  feet  or  so  of  the 


144  OCEAN    LIFE 

fife-rail  around  the  mainmast,  and  within  four  feet  of 
the  cabin  entrance;  in  short,  the  house  took  up  pretty 
much  all  the  main  deck  abaft  the  mainmast.  On  each 
side  were  very  large  coops  that  drew  out  and  pushed  in, 
like  a  chest  of  drawers.  On  one  side  were  kept  the  geese, 
the  other  ducks,  and  the  other  two  chickens  and  fowls. 
In  the  centre  were  the  goats,  while  the  whole  upper  part 
was  devoted  to  pigeons,  who  roosted  on  the  joists,  and 
flew  around  the  ship,  passing  back  and  forth  through  the 
holes  made  for  them,  always  returning  at  night  to  their 
coop.  By  the  time  we  were  up  with  the  Cape,  the  cook 
had  made  large  inroads  upon  them,  but  there  still  remained 
a  goodly  number,  besides  the  pigs  that  were  kept  in  the 
large  sties  forward  by  themselves. 

Just  east  of  Cape  Agulhas,  the  "  Brutus  "  took  a  sharp, 
short  gale,  with  very  high  sea.  Under  a  close-reefed  main 
topsail  and  foretopmast  staysail,  she  had  been  standing 
to  the  southward,  when  the  order  was  given  to  "  wear 
ship."  With  the  wheel  aweather,  she  came  gracefully 
round  on  the  port  tack,  heading  to  the  north'ard.  This 
brought  the  sea  well  on  our  port  bow. 

Half  an  hour  passed,  when  glancing  up  from  something 
I  was  about  at  the  time,  I  saw  towering  high  above  the 
bulwarks  a  great  curling  wave  just  ready  to  break.  With 
a  yell  to  the  men  to  look  out  for  themselves,  I  seized  a 
piece  of  running  gear,  passing  several  turns  around  my 
body,  and  a  spare  spar.  The  next  instant  the  crash 
came.  Driving  with  the  force  and  fury  of  an  avalanche, 
the  wave  swept  over  us,  starting  the  forward  house,  filling 
the  decks  with  water,  and  knocking  the  model  stock  house 
into  smithereens,  while  the  live  stock  were  in  a  moment 
swimming  and  floating  around  the  deck. 

Finding  no  one  was  injured  or  swept  overboard,  all 
hands  were  ordered  to  save  the  stock  and  throw  them 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  145 

into  the  cabin  doorway,  so  wading  into  the  water  and 
grabbing  what  they  could  lay  lay  their  hands  on,  the 
crew  threw  geese,  chickens,  ducks  and  pigeons  into  the 
cabin  companionway,  while  large  numbers  were  lost. 

Between  the  forward  part  of  the  after  house  and  main 
cabin  was  a  wide  passageway,  with  my  stateroom  on 
one  side  and  the  second  mate's  on  the  other,  mine  unfor- 
tunately being  to  leeward. 

Knocking  out  two  side  ports,  the  ship  quickly  freed 
herself  from  water. 

I  had  taken  with  me  on  that  voyage  a  dog,  named 
"  Dash."  In  bad  weather  he  usually  took  up  his  quarters 
in  my  stateroom,  the  door  to  which  was  a  sliding  one. 
Before  the  catastrophe  this  door  had  accidentally  been 
left  open,  and  afterwards  had  been  closed  by  some  one, 
and  on  opening  it  when  I  went  below,  after  all  was  in 
order  again,  to  change  my  wet  clothes,  a  comical  sight 
met  my  eyes. 

My  pillow  was  occupied  by  a  big  goat,  who  glared 
defiance  at  the  dog,  who  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  berth, 
and  a  pig  reclined  in  the  centre,  while  all  around  were 
chickens,  geese,  and  pigeons  wringing  wet,  and  everything 
in  the  room,  bedding  and  bedclothes,  were  soaking.  There 
was  about  six  inches  of  water  washing  about  the  deck. 
Calling  several  of  the  men,  I  had  the  stock  cleared  out 
and  everything  righted.  This  was  the  only  unlucky  sea 
we  shipped  for  the  voyage. 

Shortly  after  the  gale  moderated  sail  was  made,  and, 
the  wind  favoring,  we  slid  by  Agulhas,  with  the  land  well 
aboard,  to  catch  the  strong  westerly  current  that  prevails 
close  alongshore. 

Having  passed  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  Cape  Town, 
the  south  Atlantic  seemed  like  again  entering  home  waters. 
Fresh  breezes  soon  brought  us  up  to  St.  Helena,  and 


146  OCEAN    LIFE 

from  now  on  the  youngsters  got  a  good  insight  into 
ship's  work,  besides  being  put  through  a  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  lunars,  Captain  Meacom  daily  taking  a  series  of 
distances,  and  having  the  boys  work  them  out  for  the 
longitude  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Rogers.  Before 
they  reached  the  equator,  they  had  attained  great  pro- 
ficiency in  taking  and  working  out  lunar  observations. 

The  ship,  in  common  with  all  Calcutta  traders,  was 
infested  with  cockroaches  of  enormous  size,  some  of  them 
being  two  and  even  three  inches,  in  length. 

Although  only  cockroaches,  they  were  most  destructive. 
Just  before  rain  they  would  swarm  out  of  the  after  hatch 
in  clouds,  the  helmsman  being  obliged  to  keep  his  hat  OP 
cap  waving  to  keep  them  clear  from  his  face,  while  the 
decks  at  night  would  be  almost  covered  with  them,  and 
in  stepping  on  them  an  explosion  would  follow  with  a 
report  similar  to  the  crack  of  a  small  pistol.  When 
painting  ship  they  would  eat  the  paint  from  the  plank- 
sheer  and  waterways  at  night,  about  as  fast  as  it  could 
be  put  on,  seeming  to  thrive  and  grow  fat  on  a  diet  of 
white  lead  and  "  Paris  green."  Holes  were  eaten  through 
the  plank-sheer,  and,  on  discharging  our  cargo  in  New 
York,  we  found  they  had  eaten  holes  in  the  solid  oak  bitts 
between  decks  into  which  one  could  almost  insert  one's 
fist.  Beyond  biting  at  sleeping  Jack's  hair  and  finger- 
nails, which  latter  they  would  often  gnaw  to  the  quick, 
they  did  not  trouble  us  with  their  carnivorous  propen- 
sities, but  the  odor  from  them  was  most  offensive.  Noth- 
ing but  drowning  them  out  by  sinking  the  ship  seems  to 
have  any  effect  in  killing  them,  and  that  is  not  always 
convenient.  In  the  "  Elizabeth  Kimball "  we  had  a 
few,  but  nothing  as  compared  with  the  "  Brutus,"  that 
had  been  for  many  years  in  the  East  India  trade. 

Carrying  the  trades  across  the  equator  and  experiencing 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  147 

neither  calms  nor  light  airs,  the  wind  gradually  drawing 
around  to  E.  N.  E.  and  freshening,  sliding  into  the  N.  E. 
trades  without  an  effort,  we  now  came  to  the  last  quarter 
on  the  home  stretch.  All  hands,  fore  and  aft,  were 
feeling  in  good  spirits,  and  all,  especially  the  youngsters, 
eagerly  looking  forward  to  a  safe  and  speedy  arrival  at 
New  York  and  old  Beverly,  where  the  joyous  "  welcome 
home "  awaited  them.  I  would  frequently  hear  the 
boys  in  the  dog-watches  rehearsing  their  plans  of  what 
they  would  do  after  they  should  arrive;  wondering 
whether  this  or  that  girl  had  been  staunch  and  true, 
and  if  so-and-so  were  married?  A  day  of  particularly 
fresh  trades  always  elicited  the  remark,  "  Ah!  the  Beverly 
girls  have  got  hold  of  the  tow-line  sure." 

The  fields  of  floating  gulfweed  had  a  home  look,  while 
every  vessel  sighted  was  a  subject  of  speculation  as  to 
where  she  was  from,  how  long  out,  and  where  bound. 
We  would  often  signal,  if  convenient,  by  Maryatt's  code, 
and  all  these  questions  would  be  answered,  with  many 
others. 

Passing  the  Bermudas  and  Cape  Hatteras,  we  crossed 
the  Gulf  Stream  with  a  rattling  breeze,  heaving  to  at 
midnight  for  soundings  which  showed  ninety  fathoms. 
We  took  a  pilot  on  board  off  Barnegat  Light,  and  he 
received  a  most  royal  welcome.  He  brought  the  papers 
with  him,  giving  us  all  the  news,  and  they  were  passed 
around  to  all  hands. 

Sandy  Hook  passed,  we  hove  to  at  quarantine  for  the 
doctor,  but  his  visit  was  short.  He  made  an  examination 
of  all  hands,  and  finding  every  one  in  good  condition, 
and  being  shown  a  clean  bill  of  health  from  Calcutta, 
which  was  an  open  sesame,  he  passed  us  to  the  city  of 
New  York,  off  which  we  dropped  anchor  opposite  the 
Battery  until  it  was  known  where  we  were  to  dock. 


148  OCEAN   LIFE 

My  second  voyage  to  Calcutta  was  ended. 

Runners  from  the  sailors'  boarding-houses  now  came 
on  board  to  make  arrangements  with  the  crew  to  stop 
at  one  or  the  other  of  their  houses,  but  not  a  man  was 
allowed  to  be  taken  out  of  the  ship  until  she  was  fast  at 
the  dock.  I  also  gave  the  men  a  little  advice  against 
drinking  with  them,  almost  every  runner  having  a  bottle 
of  spirits,  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  my  advice  generally 
followed.  When  the  ship  was  taken  by  tugboat  to  dock 
the  following  day  and  tied  up  to  the  pier,  every  man,  when 
he  left  the  ship  with  the  runners,  was  sober,  the  only  ones 
at  all  intoxicated  being  the  runners  themselves. 

The  youngsters,  with  ordinaries,  got  their  meals  at  a 
restaurant  but  a  short  distance  from  the  ship,  until  all 
hands  were  paid  off,  two  days  later,  when  they  took 
their  departure  for  their  homes. 

Remaining  on  board  until  the  cargo  was  discharged, 
I  took  my  meals  on  shore,  and  slept  on  the  ship. 

It  was  a  queer  sight  at  the  dock  when  the  bales  of  jute 
were  hoisted  out  of  the  ship's  hold.  Each  one  was  black 
with  the  most  enormous  roaches,  and  the  instant  the  bale 
touched  the  dock  they  would  scamper  in  all  directions. 
The  ship  was  lying  at  the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  and  people 
who  had  met  swarms  of  them  travelling  up  the  street, 
evidently  bound  up  "  on  change,"  came  on  board  to 
inquire  what  species  of  bird  they  were,  never  having  seen 
their  like  before. 

The  cargo  being  all  right,  I  was  paid  off,  and  taking 
passage  for  Boston  on  the  Fall  River  line  of  steamers, 
arrived  safely  and  took  up  my  residence  there  for  the 
time  being. 

This  practically  ended  my  services  as  first  officer.  I 
was  now  on  the  lookout  for  a  command,  which  was  hard 
to  obtain  without  influence  or  money  to  buy  into  a  ship. 


CAPTAIN    MEACOM'S    IDEAS  149 

Becoming  an  owner  of  a  small  portion,  an  eighth,  six- 
teenth, or  even  a  thirty-second  ownership  in  a  craft,  may 
insure  a  captaincy,  but  this  I  did  not  have,  and  so  had 
to  depend  upon  my  record  as  first  officer. 


CHAPTER   XV 
1857  -  1858 

CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "  LITTLE  LIZZIE." HURKICANE  OFF  RIO 

DE     LA    PLATA.  —  BUENOS     AYRES    IN     WINTER.  —  DIN- 
NERS, LUNCHES,  HORSEBACK  RIDING.  —  BARQUE  ON  FIRE 

A  MONTH  passed,  and  though  I  kept  watch  of  all  ships 
arriving,  making  inquiries  if  there  would  be  a  vacancy, 
and  applying  if  there  was  one,  I  was  either  too  late,  or 
found  that  almost  every  ship-owner  had  some  one  he 
knew  who  wanted  a  position,  and  for  every  vacancy 
there  seemed  to  be  ten  applications;  but,  never  relaxing 
my  efforts,  I  called  one  day  at  the  office  of  an  old-time 
ship-owner  whom  I  knew,  Mr.  Daniel  Deshon,  who  was 
located  on  Doane  Street.  Finding  him  alone,  and  at 
leisure,  I  asked  him  frankly  if  he  had  or  would  be  likely 
to  have  a  vessel  for  which  he  would  want  a  captain,  and 
if  he  should  have,  would  he  give  the  command  to  me, 
knowing  me  as  he  did;  and  I  referred  to  Captain  Meacom 
and  others,  as  to  competency,  etc. 

He  replied  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  give  references, 
he  had  known  me  a  long  time,  and  did  not  question  my 
ability,  ending  by  telling  me  that  he  had  the  barque 
"  Little  Lizzie,"  about  four  hundred  tons  burthen,  that 
he  had  been  trying  to  sell,  and  if  not  successful  the  coming 
week,  he  should  load  her  with  lumber  and  send  her  out 
to  Buenos  Ayres,  and  would  be  pleased  to  give  me  the 

150 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "  LITTLE  LIZZIE  "     151 

command,  adding  that  in  addition  to  her  freight  out,  I 
might  get  a  chance  to  sell  her  at  the  river  (Rio  de  la 
Plata)  at  a  better  price  than  could  be  obtained  in  Boston. 
Going  out  from  his  office,  I  went  home  happy,  the  only 
concern  I  had  being  the  fear  that  some  one  might  buy  her 
before  she  was  taken  off  the  market,  but  no  such  calamity 
occurred.  I  was  informed,  in  due  course,  that  she  would 
load  for  Buenos  Ayres,  and  I  could  at  once  take  command. 
This  I  lost  no  time  in  doing,  and  having  shipped  my 
officers,  I  made  out  a  list  of  stores  needed  for  the  voyage, 
and  ordered  the  shipping  master  to  engage  a  crew,  also 
purchasing  such  instruments  and  charts  as  were  neces- 
sary. 

The  lading  completed,  the  crew  were  ordered  on  board 
and  the  pilot  notified,  and  taking  my  final  instructions 
from  Mr.  Deshon,  the  owner,  I  repaired  to  the  barque, 
where  I  found  all  in  readiness  for  sea. 

Although  she  was  a  little  craft,  I  stepped  over  the  gang- 
way with  as  much  pride  as  though  she  had  been  an 
eighteen-hundred-ton  ship,  and  giving  orders  to  cast  off, 
sail  having  been  made  at  the  wharf,  the  "  Little  Lizzie  " 
was  pointed  down  the  harbor,  passed  the  islands,  and 
through  the  narrows,  and  arriving  at  Boston  Light,  the 
pilot,  after  wishing  me  a  pleasant  voyage,  took  his  depar- 
ture. 

In  addition  to  the  lumber  below,  a  deck-load  had  been 
added  which  came  just  even  with  the  rails,  leaving  a 
space  around  the  mainmast  and  pumps.  Stanchions 
were  placed  around  the  barque's  sides  through  which 
life-lines  were  now  rove  as  a  precaution  against  any  one 
going  overboard  in  a  blow  or  seaway.  Passing  Minot's 
Light,  we  were  soon  up  with  the  highlands  of  Cape  Cod, 
and  our  course  shaped  out  of  the  South  Channel,  clear 
of  which,  the  barque  was  pointed  to  the  eastward. 


152  OCEAN   LIFE 

On  trying  the  pumps  the  first  night  it  was  soon  apparent 
that  either  they  had  been  standing  a  long  while,  or  the 
"  Little  Lizzie  "  was  sadly  in  need  of  caulking  below  the 
water-line.  It  gave  me  no  uneasiness,  however,  as  I 
felt  it  might  take  up,  and  loaded  with  lumber,  there  was 
no  danger  of  her  sinking.  If  it  was  pump  to  Buenos  Ayres, 
why,  pump  it  should  be!  It  would  never  do  to  put  in 
with  a  leak  on  my  first  command. 

Getting  a  stiff  gale  with  a  high  sea,  ere  we  had  been  a 
week  out,  it  was  found  that  the  barque  made  no  more 
water  in  rough  weather  than  in  smooth  water;  that  the 
leak  was  a  steady  one;  that  with  hourly  spells  at  the 
pumps  she  could  easily  be  kept  free.  But  pumping  so 
frequently  gave  little  time  for  much  else  besides  making 
and  taking  in  sail,  and  attending  to  ship  generally. 
There  was  no  grumbling,  and  all  was  pleasant  on  board. 

Favored  with  good  winds,  we  struck  the  N.  E.  trades 
fresh,  and  bowled  along,  with  all  the  canvas  that  could 
be  piled  on,  for  the  equator. 

Before  leaving,  I  had  undertaken  to  keep  a  log  for 
Lieutenant  M.  F.  Maury,  U.  S.  N.,  superintendent  of 
wind  and  current  charts  for  the  government  at  Wash- 
ington, with  notes  and  observations  on  tides,  sea  currents, 
clouds,  storms  and  winds,  with  all  the  phenomena  of  the 
sea.  This,  with  my  own  journal,  and  looking  after  the 
ship,  occupied  my  time  pretty  well,  and  the  days  passed 
rapidly  with  no  idle  moments  on  my  hands.  A  week  in 
the  doldrums,  with  squalls  of  wind  and  rain,  with  light 
airs,  kept  the  watch  on  deck  busy  with  the  sails,  when, 
taking  the  S.  E.  trades,  we  again  crossed  the  equator. 

Sighting  Fernando  Norohna  and  Cape  Frio,  ten  days 
later  saw  the  "  Little  Lizzie  "  off  the  Rio  de  la  Plata, 
where  she  encountered  her  first  setback.  The  weather 
became  very  bad,  gale  succeeded  gale  for  seven  or  eight 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "  LITTLE  LIZZIE  "     153 

days,  blowing  us  offshore  a  long  distance,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  the  wind  moderated,  the  weather  cleared, 
and  the  barque  coming  up  nearly  to  her  course  for  Lobos 
Island,  the  sea  gradually  growing  smooth,  with  a  fine 
breeze  blowing,  two  reefs  were  shaken  out  and  to'gall'nt 
sails  set,  and  the  barque  was  soon  bowling  along  from 
eight  to  nine  knots,  making  good  time  towards  Lobos, 
now  distant  about  sixty  miles. 

Although  the  weather  was  warm  for  the  season,  with 
bright  sunshine,  I  did  not  like  the  looks  or  feeling  of  it. 
The  barometer  was  very  low,  with  a  falling  tendency, 
but  aside  from  this  there  was  no  indication  of  bad  weather, 
or  any  change  after  nine  o'clock  (two  bells),  except  a 
steady  fall  of  the  glass;  otherwise  the  night  was  so  fine, 
and  being  anxious  to  take  advantage  of  the  favorable 
slant  of  wind,  I  was  loth  to  shorten  sail. 

It  was  perfectly  clear,  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen  in  the 
heavens,  the  stars  shining  with  a  brilliancy  seldom 
equalled,  water  smooth,  but  each  time  I  looked  at  the 
barometer  I  would  find  it  a  little  lower,  and  I  felt  that 
something  out  of  the  ordinary  was  coming,  yet  it  seemed 
impossible  not  to  have  time  to  get  sail  off. 

At  four  bells,  feeling  tired,  having  been  up  a  long  time, 
I  told  Mr.  Lovett,  the  mate,  I  would  lie  down  on  the 
lounge  in  the  cabin,  and  if  there  was  any  indication  of  a 
change,  or  any  increase  of  wind,  to  call  me  at  once.  Going 
below,  I  lay  down,  but  not  to  sleep,  being  too  anxious, 
as  the  barometer  was  now  28. 

About  six  bells  (11  P.  M.)  I  heard  Mr.  Lovett  descending 
the  steps. 

"  Well!  any  change?  "  I  inquired. 

"  No  sir,"  he  replied,  "  with  the  exception  that  the 
wind  is  a  little  stronger,  I  think." 

"  All  right,  sir,  Flf  be  up  in  a  moment,"  I  answered. 


154  OCEAN    LIFE 

Mounting  the  steps,  as  my  head  came  out  of  the  com- 
panionway  I  detected  a  faint  flash  of  lightning  in  the 
southwestern  quarter.  I  gave  the  order  to  braid  up  the 
spanker,  clew  up  the  to'gallant  sails,  furling  them,  and 
to  haul  up  the  mainsail  before  they  laid  aloft  at  the  main. 
Before  the  sail  could  be  handed  the  wind  increased  rapidly. 
Telling  the  helmsman  to  put  his  wheel  up  and  keep  her 
dead  before  it,  I  also  hailed  the  second  officer  to  get  on 
deck  instantly,  Mr.  Lovett  having  gone  aloft  to  assist 
the  men.  Running  forward  over  the  deck-load,  letting 
go  the  topsail  halliards  on  the  way,  I  called  to  the  watch 
to  hurry  on  deck,  not  stopping  to  put  on  many  clothes. 
By  the  time  they  made  their  appearance,  the  men  with 
the  mate  were  down  from  aloft.  With  all  sail  clewed  up, 
and  although  running  dead  before  the  wind,  over  two 
hours  of  the  hardest  kind  of  work  elapsed  before  every- 
thing was  furled,  and  the  barque  hove  to  on  the  port 
tack  under  a  mizzen  staysail  made  of  No.  1  cotton  canvas, 
entirely  new.  By  this  time  the  wind  was  blowing  with 
hurricane  force;  above  a  cloudless  sky,  but  everything 
now  snug,  with  the  exception  of  the  fore  to'gallant  sail 
that  blew  away  ere  it  could  be  furled.  The  sea  had  risen, 
but  the  wind  was  too  heavy  to  permit  its  rising  very  high. 
The  barque  lay  almost  on  her  beam-ends,  the  spars  lying 
at  such  an  angle  the  wind  passed  over,  her  masts  not 
offering  much  resistance  to  its  full  force.  Lying  with 
her  lee  rail  in  the  water,  the  men  doing  nothing,  but 
holding  on  for  their  lives,  eight  hours  passed,  after  which 
the  wind  began  to  abate  in  violence.  From  the  time  the 
wind  struck  us  at  eleven  the  night  before,  the  barometer 
had  risen  rapidly,  the  lowest  being  27.70,  which  had  gone 
up  by  daylight  to  nearly  29,  and  was  still  rising. 

From  this  time  the  gale  moderated  very  fast,  and  by 
10  A.  M.  sail  was  again  made.  By  night  the  main  to'gallant 


MONTEVIDEO  BAY,   SHOWING  MOUNT,   URUGUAY 


MOUTH    OF  RIVER   CHACO,  AND   WAREHOUSES,    BUENOS   AYRES 

[See  page  158 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "LITTLE  LIZZIE"     155 

sail  was  set,  and  a  new  fore  one  bent,  and  the  wind 
favoring  us,  we  were  soon  up  with  Lobos  Island,  passing 
which,  we  shortly  sighted  the  Mount,  coming  to  anchor 
outside  the  harbor  of  Montevideo.  A  boat  from  shore 
in  the  early  morning  came  on  board  bringing  fresh  beef 
and  vegetables,  also  a  river  pilot  who  had  been  signalled 
for,  and  we  were  soon  under  way  for  Buenos  Ayres. 

The  Rio  de  la  Plata,  from  the  junction  of  the  Parana 
and  Uruguay  Rivers,  is  very  wide,  about  thirty  miles 
between  Buenos  Ayres  and  Colonia,  and  increasing  in 
width  as  it  approaches  the  ocean.  It  is  a  muddy,  turbid 
stream,  having  at  times  of  freshets  a  strong  current. 
Anchorage  for  shipping  at  Buenos  Ayres,  unless  the  vessel 
is  of  light  draught,  is  in  the  outer  roads,  about  eight  or  nine 
miles  from  shore.  Between  the  outer  and  inner  roads 
lies  a  wide  bank  of  shoal  water,  but  vessels  of  from  eleven 
to  twelve  feet  draught  can  cross  it  to  the  inner  roads  about 
a  mile  from  the  landing  mole.  The  water  there  is  much 
smoother  than  in  the  outer  roads,  the  bank  breaking  the 
sea,  although  in  a  winter  southeaster,  the  Plata  can  get 
up  a  very  respectable  sea  even  in  the  inner  roads.  In 
the  strong  southeast  gales  of  the  winter  season  the  waves 
run  high,  and  a  ship  needs  good  ground-tackling,  but 
the  holding  ground  is  good.  It  is  sometimes  a  week  at 
a  time  when  no  work  of  discharging  cargo  can  be  at- 
tempted, it  being  impossible  for  a  lighter  to  lie  alongside 
a  ship;  even  communication  with  the  shore  would  be 
cut  off,  although  it  must  be  pretty  rough  weather  when 
the  shore  boats  that  supply  the  ships  with  fresh  beef 
and  vegetables,  take  the  mails,  and  carry  the  captains 
back  and  forth  once  a  week  or  so,  cannot  go  off.  All  the 
captains  live  on  shore,  boarding  at  some  of*  the  many 
boarding-houses.  These  are  kept  mostly  by  Americans 
or  English.  Mine  was  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Bradley, 


156  OCEAN    LIFE 

formerly  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  who  with  her  three 
daughters  conducted  one  of  the  best  establishments  in 
Buenos  Ayres.  It  was  patronized  almost  entirely  by 
American  shipmasters  with  their  wives,  if  married  and 
accompanied  by  them. 

Taking  advantage  of  high  water,  the  "  Little  Lizzie  " 
crossed  the  bank,  anchoring  in  the  inner  roads  among  a 
number  of  light-draught  vessels  like  herself.  This  was  much 
more  convenient,  as  it  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
landing  mole,  and  communication  with  the  shore  could 
be  had  daily,  or  at  any  time  that  it  was  necessary.  . 

The  water  front  of  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  was  very 
different  from  the  present  day;  then  all  discharging  was 
done  by  lighters,  but  of  late  years  docks  have  been 
built  at  Ensenada,  below  the  city,  to  accommodate  the 
shipping,  or  a  portion  of  it. 

The  population  at  that  time  was  upwards  of  three 
hundred  thousand,  while  to-day  it  numbers  nearly  a 
million.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  Argentine  Republic, 
and  is  the  first  city  in  size  in  South  America.  Its  export 
trade  is  very  large,  besides  having  important  manufactur- 
ing interests. 

Rosario,  lying  northwest  of  Buenos  Ayres,  on  the 
Parana  River,  is  second  only  in  commercial  importance, 
its  population  being  today  upwards  of  125,000.  Stock 
raising  is  its  chief  industry,  —  cattle,  sheep,  horses, 
etc.,  in  vast  herds.  The  pasturage  afforded  by  the 
central  plains  is  practically  unlimited.  The  production 
of  wool,  also,  is  one  of  its  greatest  industries,  and  of  this 
Buenos  Ayres  Province  is  the  chief  seat. 

Sailing  up  the  Parana  River,  from  Buenos  Ayres  to 
Rosario,  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel  can  be  seen  immense 
grassy  plains,  one  great  level  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
covered  with  seemingly  countless  numbers  of  horses  and 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "LITTLE  LIZZIE"     157 

cattle,  grazing.  It  formed  a  sight  worth  many  miles  of 
travel  to  see. 

The  illustration  shows  La  Boca  del  Rio  Chaco  circa  de 
Barracas  (the  mouth  of  the  River  Chaco  near  the  ware- 
house) at  Buenos  Ayres,  1856.  The  old  established  house 
of  Samuel  B.  Hale  being  my  consignees,  as  it  was  of  almost 
all  of  the  American  ships  in  port,  I  made  daily  visits  to 
the  offices  at  the  Barracas  lying  at  the  lower  part  of  the 
city.  Here  the  captains  not  only  met  each  other,  but 
joined  the  consignees  and  the  employees  of  the  firm  in 
social  intercourse.  Here  they  received  their  letters  and 
newspapers,  and  if  any  one  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to 
receive  any  mail,  he  learned  the  home  news  from  others. 
There  was  always  a  nice  lunch  set  out,  of  which  all  who 
chose  were  invited  to  partake.  Frequent  invitations  to 
dine  were  given  to  a  few  at  a  time,  and  these  dinners 
were  very  sociable  gatherings,  enlivened  by  music  and 
witty  conversation,  all  serving  to  make  the  time  pass 
most  agreeably. 

Meanwhile  the  work  of  discharging  our  lumber  pro- 
ceeded. On  account  of  the  shallov/ness  of  the  water  along 
the  city  front,  the  laden  boats  or  lighters  could  not 
approach  within  a  long  distance  of  the  Custom  House 
mole,  where  all  goods  were  landed,  and  everything  had 
to  be  carried  on  shore  from  the  lighters  in  high  carts, 
drawn  by  horses.  It  was  a  queer  sight  to  see  the  teams 
going  out  nearly  a  half-mile  from  shore,  coming  in  loaded, 
and  returning  empty.  In  addition  to  the  Custom  House 
mole,  there  was  the  landing  mole,  where  all  boats  from  the 
shipping  landed.  It  was,  I  should  judge,  about  an  eighth 
of  a  mile  in  length,  making  a  fine  promenade,  always  well 
filled  with  people  in  fine  weather,  but  when  there  was  a 
heavy  sea  on,  landing  from  boats  was  a  difficult  and 
hazardous  operation.  All  along  the  mole  were  davits 


158  OCEAN    LIFE 

with  boats  hoisted,  hanging  ready  for  an  emergency. 
Along  the  water  front  on  each  side  of  the  mole  was  built 
a  fine  sea-wall,  in  front  of  which,  extending  a  long  way  out 
into  the  river,  were  large  lumps  called  "  toseas,"  highly 
dangerous  to  a  boat  getting  among  them  in  a  sea- 
way. 

Our  cargo  having  been  discharged,  the  barque  was  now 
put  into  fine  condition  as  to  appearance,  painted  outside 
and  inside,  spars  scraped,  and  everything  polished  up 
until  she  shone  like  a  fiddle,  and  as  she  lay  with  her  royal 
yards  across,  she  much  resembled  a  yacht.  It  was  my 
intention  to  sell  her  if  possible,  and  the  consignees  were 
looking  out  sharp  for  a  customer.  In  the  meantime  there 
was  very  little  to  do  but  enjoy  myself. 

Horseback  riding  was  the  favorite  amusement  of  the 
captains,  among  whom  was  my  old  friend  Captain  William 
Gregory  of  Marblehead,  commanding  the  barque  "  Al- 
bers,"  and  almost  every  afternoon  we  took  long  gallops 
into  the  country  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles,  sometimes 
much  farther  when  we  started  earlier.  This  was  not  only 
most  enjoyable  and  exhilarating  sport,  but  very  inex- 
pensive, horse-flesh  being  at  a  low  figure.  A  good  horse 
could  be  bought  for  five  or  ten  dollars,  and  a  superb 
animal  for  fifteen.  Our  stay  in  port  on  that  voyage 
covering  four  months,  I  bought  a  fine  animal  the  second 
month  for  fifteen  dollars.  I  had  him  fed,  and  taken  care 
of,  and  used  him  almost  daily,  and  on  leaving  gave  him 
away  in  payment  for  his  "  keep." 

One  of  our  most  enjoyable  excursions  was  in  company 
with  six  or  eight  genial  fellows  to  the  estancia  of  an  old 
German,  who  kept  a  sort  of  tavern  for  travellers,  or 
parties  making  him  a  call  from  the  city  for  a  good  dinner, 
or  a  bottle  of  fine  old  Hock  or  Moselle,  of  which  he  had 
a  large  supply  in  his  cool  cellars.  Leaving  Buenos  Ayres 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "  LITTLE  LIZZIE  "     159 

at  about  two  p.  M.,  a  brisk  ride,  or  leisurely  gallop  of  an 
hour  or  so,  brought  us  to  his  place,  when  dismounting 
and  having  had  the  dust  removed,  we  seated  ourselves 
at  tables  in  a  most  pleasant  arbor  with  rich  clusters  of 
grapes  hanging  in  luscious  pendants  from  the  vines 
overhead,  our  leafy  covering  protecting  us  from  the  sun's 
hot  rays. 

Ordering  a  bottle  or  two  of  cool,  sparkling  Moselle,  we 
would  sit  chatting  for  an  hour,  enjoying  our  wine  and 
fragrant  cigars,  while  our  horsos  rested.  The  sun  mean- 
while would  be  getting  lower,  and  as  it  neared  the  horizon's 
edge  abating  much  of  its  fervor  that  had  made  it  oppres- 
sively warm  at  noontide. 

Again  mounting  our  steeds,  a  brisk  gallop  would  soon 
take  us  back  to  the  city,  to  pass  an  entertaining  evening 
at  our  boarding-house  with  music  and  the  companionship 
of  the  ladies  of  our  party. 

During  my  stay  many  pleasant  acquaintances  were 
formed,  friendships  that  lasted  for  years. 

On  my  going  to  the  office  one  day  Mr.  Hale  informed 
me  that  he  had  a  prospective  customer  for  the  barque 
at  a  price  nearly  double  what  the  owner  would  have 
taken  for  her  in  Boston,  and  said  he  would  be  on  board 
the  following  day  to  inspect  her.  Since  her  cargo  had 
been  discharged  her  bends  and  upper  works  had  been 
caulked,  previous  to  painting.  Early  the  next  morning 
I  went  on  board,  followed  shortly  by  Mr.  Hale  with 
Captain  Manuel,  a  Portuguese,  who  wished  to  buy, 
to  command.  I  showed  him  over  the  "  Little  Lizzie/7 
after  which  he  partook,  with  Mr.  Hale,  of  a  nice  little 
lunch  in  the  cabin,  with  a  few  glasses  of  wine.  Pleased 
with  the  barque  and  all  on  board,  the  next  day  the  sale 
was  consummated,  Captain  Manuel  taking  possession 
and  command  as  soon  as  papers  were  made  out  and 


160  OCEAN    LIFE 

signed.  He  altered  her  name  to  "  La  Chiquita  Paulina  " 
(Little  Pauline),  after  his  daughter. 

The  officers  and  crew  were  paid  off  and  berths  for  the 
former  found  on  vessels  homeward  bound,  while  the  crew 
shipped  on  various  craft  bound  for  the  "United  States 
and  elsewhere.  A  fortnight  later  I  engaged  passage  on 
the  barque  "  Swallow  "  of  Salem,  Captain  Stephen  Upton, 
bound  for  that  port.  I  bade  my  consignees  good-by, 
took  leave  of  my  genial  landlady  and  her  family,  and 
with  a  hearty  handshake  from  my  follow  shipmasters, 
embarked  with  Captain  Upton  from  tlie  mole.  A  run  of 
an  hour  and  a  half  placed  us  alongside  the  "  Swallow," 
lying  in  the  outer  roads.  Anchor  was  at  once  weighed, 
and  with  a  leading  wind  we  took  our  departure  from 
Buenos  Ayres,  landing  our  pilot  at  Montevideo  the  follow- 
ing morning.  Passing  Lobos  Island,  Maldonado,  and 
Cape  St.  Mary,  we  were  soon  again  on  the  south  Atlantic, 
homeward  bound. 

The  "  Swallow "  was  a  very  pretty  barque  of  five 
hundred  tons,  quite  sharp,  with  good  sailing  qualities, 
flush  fore  and  aft,  with  the  exception  of  a  break  in  the 
deck  abaft  the  mainmast,  having  a  foot  rise  from  that 
aft,  all  her  cabin  and  forecastle  accommodations  being 
below  deck. 

-With  fine  weather  and  steady  trades  we  were  in  the 
latitude  of  Pernambuco,  when  about  four  bells  in  the 
morning  watch,  we  experienced  a  sharp  earthquake  shock. 

The  following  afternoon,  while  sitting  by  the  com- 
panionway  aft,  reading,  for  which  there  was  now  plenty 
of  leisure,  Mr.  Connor  (Thomas  Connor  of  Salem),  the  first 
officer,  being  busy  with  something  about  the  wheel, 
we  were  both  suddenly  startled  by  the  cry  of  "  Fire," 
forward. 

Glancing  towards  the  foVsle  scuttle,  I  saw  the  watch 


CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "  LITTLE  LIZZIE  "     161 

below  rushing  on  deck,  followed  by  a  cloud  of  smoke. 
In  an  instant  I  followed  Mr.  Connor,  who  bounded  by 
me  and,  diving  into  the  fo  Vsle,  called  loudly  to  pass  water 
down.  Two  men  were  ordered  to  draw  water,  and  the 
others  quickly  passed  down  bucket  after  bucket,  which 
Mr.  Connor  received  and  slashed  around  perfectly  regard- 
less of  Jack's  bedding  or  belongings.  In  a  few  moments 
the  fire  was  extinguished  and  the  scare  was  over.  Mr. 
Connor  then  used  some  very  emphatic  language  in  address- 
ing a  few  remarks  to  the  watch  that  had  been  below. 

It  turned  out  that  the  seams  around  the  barque's 
bows  on  the  insides  of  the  bunks  of  the  foVsle  were  the 
home  and  abiding-place  of  innumerable  bugs,  which, 
especially  in  warm  weather,  were  a  source  of  great  annoy- 
ance to  Jack.  He  had  tried  various  expedients  to  get 
rid  of  them,  all  of  which  were  of  no  avail,  they  were  so 
deep  in  the  seams.  That  day  a  brilliant  idea  had  struck 
one  of  the  watch,  and  going  to  the  paint  locker  without 
asking  leave,  he  smuggled  down  about  a  quart  of  spirits 
of  turpentine,  then  getting  a  piece  of  oakum,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  saturate  the  seams  with  the  spirits.  He  was 
anxious  to  see  what  effect  it  had,  and  it  was  too  dark  to 
see  plainly,  so  he  lit  a  match  and  held  it  close  to  the  seam. 
The  effect,  if  startling  to  the  inhabitants,  was  much 
more  so  to  Jack.  In  an  instant  the  flames  ran  around 
the  two  tiers  of  bunks,  scaring  the  watch  so  that,  without 
attempting  to  extinguish  it,  which  they  might  easily  have 
done,  they  piled  on  deck,  yelling  "  Fire! " 

It  is,  I  think,  safe  to  say  they  never  tried  that  experi- 
ment again. 

After  a  fine  run  through  the  northeast  trades,  one 
pleasant  morning  found  us  in  Boston  Bay,  between 
Thatcher's  Island  and  Half-way  Rock,  with  light  airs 
fanning  along,  until  we  were  but  a  short  distance  from 


162  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  entrance  of  Marblehead  Harbor,  when  it  fell  away 
calm.  Putting  out  a  dory  we  had  on  deck,  I  pulled  to  a 
fishing-schooner  just  back  of  the  Neck,  bound  to  Boston 
for  salt,  got  the  news,  and  a  morning  paper,  returned  on 
board,  and  shortly  after  we  were  boarded  by  a  Salem 
pilot.  At  noon  we  were  fast  alongside  Derby  Wharf, 
the  voyage  ended. 

Upon  seeing  Mr.  Deshon,  the  following  day,  he  expressed 
himself  well  pleased,  adding  he  was  sorry  I  had  not 
arrived  sooner,  for  he  had  had  a  new  barque  for  me.  She 
had  sailed  the  week  before,  but  as  soon  as  he  had  a 
command  I  should  have  it.  All  of  which,  though  very 
gratifying,  would  not  warrant  my  remaining  idle. 


CHAPTER   XVI 
1858  -  1859 

NEW  ORLEANS   IN  WINTER.  —  BALLS,   OPERAS,  ETC. THE 

FRENCH     MARKET     AT     SUNRISE. TO      MARSEILLES. 


I  COULD  see  no  opening  for  a  command,  and  after  a 
short  stay  on  shore,  I  engaged  with  Captain  John  Dever- 
eaux  of  Marblehead,  as  first  officer  on  the  ship  "  Carnatic  " 
for  a  voyage  to  New  Orleans.  He  stated  to  me,  at  the 
time,  that  if  he  could  get  a  stave  freight  for  Bordeaux, 
he  would  place  me  in  jommand  at  New  Orleans,  and 
take  a  run  up  around  Tennessee  with  his  wife  and  see 
his  son,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  a  long  while.  This  I 
considered  a  good  opportunity,  and  shipping  Mr.  Horace 
Broughton,  also  of  Marblehead,  as  second  officer,  with 
Mr.  John  Bartol,  a  nephew  of  Captain  Devereaux,  as  third, 
we  left  Boston  in  ballast  for  New  Orleans.  Making  a 
quick  run  to  the  south  end  of  Abaco,  one  of  the  Bahama 
group,  the  "  Carnatic  "  rounded  the  "  Hole  in  the  Wall  " 
and  entered  upon  and  crossed  the  Great  Bahama  Bank 
as  described  in  a  previous  chapter.  There  is  a  uniform 
depth  in  the  fairway  of  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  feet 
of  water,  with  a  bottom  of  white  sand  as  level  as  a  floor, 
while  the  ship  being  in  ballast  and  of  light  draught, 
could  easily  cross,  thus  making  a  great  saving  in  distance. 
The  Bahama  group  comprises  twenty  inhabited,  and 

163 


164  OCEAN    LIFE 

many  uninhabited  islands,  the  Great  Bank  being  fringed 
with  small  islands  and  keys.  Running  off  the  edge  of 
the  Bank,  and  sighting  "  Dead  Man's  Keys  "  and  the 
Cuban  shore,  we  speedily  entered  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
the  course  being  shaped  for  the  Southwest  Pass  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  on  arrival  off  the  Pass,  Captain 
Devereaux  engaged  a  tugboat  to  tow  the  ship  to  New 
Orleans. 

Towing  from  the  gulf  to  the  city  is  very  interesting. 
In  the  first  part,  after  leaving  the  bar,  the  banks  are  low 
and  swampy,  fringed  with  reeds  and  bushes,  large  portions 
of  which  at  a  high  stage  of  water  are  often  partially  sub- 
merged. These  are  the  homes  of  the  mosquito,  gallinipper 
and  "  green-head,"  a  large  fly  that  will  bite  a  piece  out 
of  an  animal  very  quickly. 

About  sunset,  in  the  summer  months,  when  the  tow 
is  gliding  along  the  banks,  the  mosquitoes  come  off  in 
swarms,  almost  darkening  the  air,  but  farther  along,  the 
land  is  higher  and  more  uniform,  houses  and  cabins  come 
into  view,  and  still  farther  on  plantations  with  their 
blooming  cotton  fields,  stretch  far  away,  white  as  snow, 
ripe  for  the  picking  by  the  darkies  in  the  fields,  and  near, 
the  shining  black  "  mammies  "  with  their  "  pickaninnies  " 
are  mustered  up  to  see  the  tow  pass  by,  shouting  and 
waving  their  colored  bandannas.  This  was  in  the  old 
slavery  days,  before  the  emancipation  of  the  blacks, 
and  a  tow  on  the  Mississippi  from  the  bar  to  the  "  Queen 
City  of  the  South  "  was  quite  an  event.  On  our  arrival 
at  New  Orleans  the  towboat  placed  the  "  Carnatic  " 
alongside  the  levee,  lying  outside  the  ship  "  Ocean  Pearl." 

During  our  stay  the  captain  and  Mrs.  Devereaux 
lived  on  shore,  the  captain  coming  on  board  daily.  Not 
being  able  to  procure  the  freight  he  wished,  he  gave  up 
the  idea  of  going  to  see  his  son,  and  chartering  the  ship 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER          165 

to  load  tobacco  and  staves  for  Marseilles,  France,  told  me 
he  would  like  to  have  me  continue  the  voyage,  which 
offer  I  accepted. 

Captain  Devereaux  was  the  most  genial  of  men,  a  good 
shipmaster  of  the  old  school,  and  a  most  agreeable  man 
to  sail  with.  Our  relations  at  all  times  were  very  pleasant. 

Mr.  Hooper,  our  passenger,  remained  in  New  Orleans 
for  a  fortnight  and  then  took  his  departure  for  Boston 
by  rail,  having  during  his  stay  visited  the  ship  almost 
daily  with  Captain  Devereaux. 

At  this  season  New  Orleans  was  very  gay;  theatres, 
operas,  balls,  and  drives  on  the  shell  road  to  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain  were  in  full  swing. 

A  visit  to  the  French  market  in  the  early  morning  was 
a  rare  treat  to  any  one  not  familiar  with  the  habits,  man- 
ners, and  customs  of  the  Creoles  and  elite  society  of 
New  Orleans  in  that  day. 

Here  one  could  sit  at  any  of  the  numerous  coffee  stands, 
and  while  sipping  his  cup  of  the  most  delicious  coffee  or 
cocoa,  with  delicate  coffee  cakes  and  cream,  —  or,  if 
his  tastes  inclined  that  way,  a  tiny  shell  glass  of  the 
finest  old  cognac  to  take  in  his  coffee,  —  watch  the 
passing  throng,  of  every  shade  of  color,  clad  in  garments 
varying  from  all  the  variegated  hues  of  the  rainbow  to  a 
spotless  white,  all  smiling  and  joyous,  engaged  in  ani- 
mated conversation  fraught  with  jest  and  repartee 
thrown  from  one  to  another,  in  a  breezy,  light-hearted 
manner,  only  to  listen  to  which  was  most  exhilarating. 
This  was  a  favorite  stroll  of  ours  at  this  hour  during  our 
stay  in  port. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  was  loaded,  she  dropped  out  of  the 
tier  and  down  to  the  lower  levee,  making  up  a  tow  of 
four  vessels  for  the  bar  the  following  night. 

The  last  of  the  stores  having  been  taken  on  board, 


166  OCEAN    LIFE 

with  water,  about  7  P.  M.  the  crew  made  their  appearance, 
all  sober,  for  a  wonder,  and  at  8  o'clock  the  fasts  were 
cast  off,  and  the  "  Carnatic  "  swung  into  the  stream,  being 
headed  down  river  for  the  bar,  where  we  arrived  the 
next  morning,  and  crossing  at  once,  sail  was  made,  and 
with  a  light  northerly  wind,  we  proceeded  down  the 
gulf. 

Rounding  the  Tortugas,  we  passed  Key  West  and  the 
Florida  Keys,  with  a  leading  breeze,  and  aided  by  the 
strong  current  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  which  here  runs  with 
its  greatest  force,  rapidly  passed  Florida,  with  Abaco  on 
our  starboard  beam.  Once  to  the  north'ard  of  Abaco, 
the  wind,  hauling  to  the  sou'west  fresh,  gave  us  a  fine 
run  for  a  week,  and  meeting  with  little  easterly  weather, 
the  ship's  passage  was  a  good  one  to  Cape  St.  Vincent, 
where  a  strong  easterly  gale  was  encountered,  bringing 
the  "  Carnatic  "  down  to  close  reefs.  Running  down  under 
Cape  Spartel,  we  lay  off  and  on,  for  two  days,  when,  the 
gale  moderating,  we  stood  over  towards  the  Spanish  shore, 
and  the  wind  falling  light,  morning  found  us  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  Spartel  bearing  about 
south  half  east. 

A  Spanish  fishing-boat  coming  alongside,  a  lot  of  fresh 
sardines  were  purchased,  which  made  a  great  addition 
to  our  table  fare.  They  are  a  most  delicate  pan-fish, 
sweet  and  delicious. 

Fanning  along  with  light  westerly  winds,  about  1  A.  M. 
(two  bells),  we  made  Tarifa  Light  on  the  port  bow, 
and  as  I  knew  Tarifa  to  be  a  revolving  light,  and  this 
was  a  fixed  one,  I  was  puzzled.  The  night  was  dark 
but  clear,  and  after  satisfying  myself  that  it  was  a  light 
on  shore,  and  no  other  than  Tarifa,  I  went  below,  and 
calling  Captain  Devereaux,  told  him  Tarifa  Light  was  a 
little  forward  of  the  port  beam. 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN   WINTER          167 

Coming  on  deck,  he  took  a  good  look  at  it,  and  for 
the  first  time  our  opinions  clashed. 

"  That's  not  Tarifa,  Mr.  Whidden,"  said  he. 

"  I  think  so,  captain,"  I  answered. 

"  But  I  tell  you  it  is  not.  Tarifa  is  a  revolving  light, 
and  that  is  steady." 

"  That  may  be  so,"  said  I;  "  it's  a  fixed  light,  sure,  but 
it's  Tarifa." 

Looking  through  my  glass,  which  was  a  good  one,  at 
the  light,  which  by  this  time  had  got  well  abeam,  I  could 
make  out  the  dim  form  of  the  lighthouse  below  it. 

With  a  long  look  through  his  spy-glass  Captain  Dever- 
eaux  exclaimed: 

"  A  steamer's  light;  I  can  see  her  smoke-stack,"  to 
which  I  made  no  reply,  and  Captain  Devereaux  went 
below. 

I  remained  on  deck  until  daylight,  when  Tarifa  showed 
plain  in  sight  abaft  our  beam,  with  the  mountains  of  the 
African  shore  looming  up  grandly  in  the  morning  light, 
and  looking  aft  from  forward,  I  saw  Captain  Devereaux 
come  on  deck,  take  a  look  at  the  lighthouse,  and  go 
below  at  once,  where  he  remained  until  nearly  seven 
bells. 

Passing  Gibraltar,  we  again  encountered  a  strong 
easterly  wind,  making  it  a  hard  dead  beat  to  Cape  de  Gata, 
but  rounding  the  cape  the  wind  became  more  favorable 
and  we  made  Planier  Light  but  a  short  distance  south 
of  our  port,  and  taking  a  pilot,  the  "  Carnatic  "  entered 
the  basin  of  the  docks  at  Marseilles,  a  very  old  city, 
located  in  the  southeastern  part  of  France,  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  Italian  border.  It  has  a  population 
of  nearly  half  a  million,  and  is  the  principal  seaport  of 
France,  and  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  harbor  is  com- 
posed of  two  big  basins  or  docks,  the  old  and  the  new. 


168  OCEAN    LIFE 

Entering  the  old  basin,  we  hauled  alongside  the  pier  and 
commenced  the  following  day  the  discharge  of  our  tobacco 
and  staves. 

The  second  day  after  docking,  Captain  Devereaux 
came  on  board  in  the  afternoon,  and  after  talking  with  me 
in  a  general  way,  "  By  the  way,"  said  he,  "  I  see  that 
Tarifa  Light  is  undergoing  repairs,  and,  for  the  time,  the 
revolving  light  has  been  changed  to  a  fixed  light.  That 
was  something  I  did  not  know,  when  we  passed  it.  Mr. 
Whidden,  go  to  your  tailor's  and  get  a  suit  of  clothes, 
and  tell  him  to  send  me  the  bill.  Don't  you  get  a  Prince 
Albert  suit." 

I  laughed  and  thanked  him,  and  gave  my  order  for  a 
nice  suit,  and  Captain  Devereaux  paid  the  bill.  This 
was  characteristic  of  Captain  John,  —  blunt,  stubborn, 
he  always  hated  to  acknowledge  he  was  wrong,  but  once 
convinced,  he  was  ready  to  rectify  an  error,  and  generous 
to  a  fault. 

Fruits  of  all  kinds  were  abundant,  and  as  it  was  the 
season  for  them,  we  literally  feasted,  while  in  port,  on 
the  largest  and  most  delicious  grapes. 

The  barque  "  Azof,"  off  the  port  of  Marseilles  as 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  was  an  Eastern 
built  vessel  of  295  tons  register,  and  a  fair  type  of  the 
smaller  class  of  freighters  of  our  merchant  marine  of 
sixty  years  ago.  She  hailed  from  New  York  previous 
to  being  purchased  by  Messrs  Isaac  Jeanes  &  Co.  and 
Messrs  Chamberlain,  Phelps  &  Co.,  large  ship-owners  of 
Philadelphia. 

She  was  commanded  by  Captain  William  Chipman, 
a  native  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  who  in  1859  commanded 
the  fine  ship  "  Isaac  Jeanes."  She  was  principally  engaged 
in  the  Mediterranean  trade,  plying  between  the  various 
ports  in  the  Sea  and  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  New 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER          169 

Orleans.  Her  eighth  voyage  was  made  from  Philadelphia 
to  New  Orleans  with  coal;  thence  to  Cronstadt,  Russia, 
with  cotton;  from  there  to  Plymouth,  Eng.,  with  general 
cargo,  where  she  was  wrecked  in  October,  1859. 

The  cargo  having  been  discharged,  and  the  ship  bal- 
lasted, we  cleared  for  New  Orleans,  taking  as  passengers 
the  former  American  consul  who  had  been  stationed  at 
Nice,  with  his  wife,  son  and  daughter. 

A  few  days  later  the  "  Carnatic  "  sailed  from  Mar- 
seilles, passing  Gibraltar  and  the  straits  with  a  strong 
levanter  (a  strong  east  wind  prevalent  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea),  and  in  due  course  entered  the  trade  belt, 
and  from  now  on  fine,  steady  winds,  with  bright,  beautiful 
weather,  accompanied  the  ship  all  the  way  to  the  Wind- 
ward Islands.  Past  Guadeloupe,  and  through  the  Carib- 
bean Sea,  we  held  our  way,  passing  south  of  Jamaica, 
getting  a  fine  view  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  thence  along 
the  Cuban  shore  and  past  the  Isle  of  Pines  with  its  rich, 
tropical  growth  of  trees  and  foliage,  rounded  Cape  San 
Antonio,  the  west  end  of  the  island  of  Cuba,  and  with 
course  shaped  for  the  Southwest  Pass,  a  few  days  later 
we  dropped  our  anchor  outside  the  bar  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  Taking  a  pilot  and  towboat,  we  were 
just  in  time  to  complete  a  tow,  and  at  once  were  off  for 
New  Orleans. 

On  arrival  at  New  Orleans  the  "  Carnatic  "  loaded 
cotton  for  Boston,  also  taking  on  board  ten  barrels  of 
"  Old  Rye "  whiskey,  which  were  stowed  directly  un- 
der the  after  hatch.  We  had  good  weather  and  favor- 
able winds  until  past  the  latitude  of  Bermuda,  when  the 
ship  encountered  a  hard  gale  from  the  northwest,  obliging 
her  to  lie  to,  for  eight  or  nine  hours,  but  no  damage  was 
sustained,  for  the  "  Carnatic  "  as  a  sea-boat  was  a  gem. 
With  a  favorable  slant,  good  time  was  made  to  the  South 


170  OCEAN    LIFE 

Channel,  when  the  wind,  falling  light,  finally  died  away 
to  a  flat  calm,  then  breezing  up  from  north  northeast, 
it  rapidly  increased  in  force  until  at  midnight  the  ship 
was  under  close  reefs  clawing  off  Nauset,  the  wind  blowing 
a  hard  gale  with  snow  and  sleet.  It  was  a  wild  night 
and  all  hands  suffered  much  with  the  cold.  About  six 
bells  (mid- watch)  the  wind  suddenly  veered  into  nor' west, 
and  although  blowing  heavily,  the  weather  cleared, 
while  the  air  became  intensely  cold,  ice  making  fast, 
and  the  rigging  becoming  stiff  very  rapidly. 

Captain  Devereaux  had  left  orders  to  call  him  if  any 
change  occurred,  and  this  was  now  done.  Daylight  had 
just  broken,  when  from  for'ard,  where  I  was  busy  with 
the  men,  I  saw  the  captain  emerge  from  the  cabin  door, 
and  running  up  to  wind'ard,  take  a  look  for  some  two  or 
three  minutes.  Returning,  he  called  out,  "  Mr.  Whidden! 
Mr.  Whidden!  " 

"  Yes,  sir/'  was  my  response,  going  aft. 

"  Where  did  you  stow  that  whiskey  you  took  on  at 
New  Orleans?  " 

"  In  the  after  hatch,  sir,"  said  I. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  get  out  a  barrel?  " 

"  Certainly,  sir."  And  calling  the  watch  aft,  in  less  than 
fifteen  minutes  a  cask  was  up  and  secured  in  the  cabin 
gangway.  Tapping,  and  drawing  off  a  small  demijohn, 
Captain  Devereaux  ordered  that  the  men  have  a  drink 
each  watch  while  the  extreme  cold  lasted,  then  dis- 
appeared below. 

Two  drinks,  however,  were  sufficient,  as  after  the  first 
the  weather  moderated  wonderfully. 

Having  passed  Highland  Light,  we  took  a  pilot  on 
board,  and  arrived  in  Boston  the  following  morning, 
and  the  cargo  of  cotton  having  been  discharged,  I  bade 
good-by  to  Captain  and  Mrs.  Devereaux,  leaving  the 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER  171 

old  "  Carnatic  "  with  regret,  and  having  received  instruc- 
tions from  New  Orleans  to  proceed  overland  to  that  port 
and  take  command  of  the  ship  "  J.  P.  Whitney,"  1,200 
tons  burthen,  I  left  at  once  for  New  York,  and  there 
purchasing  tickets  for  New  Orleans  via  Savannah,  Mont- 
gomery and  Mobile,  I  embarked  on  the  steamer  "  Ala- 
bama/7 Captain  Schenk,  for  Savannah. 

A  fine  run  down  the  coast  brought  the  "  Alabama  " 
to  her  pier  at  midnight,  and  engaging  a  carriage,  I  drove 
across  the  city  to  the  railroad  station.  The  moon,  being 
at  its  full,  made  objects  almost  as  light  as  day,  and  the 
drive  enabled  me  to  get  a  fair  idea  of  the  city,  from  which 
I  took  my  departure  by  the  train  which  left  at  3.30  A.  M. 
The  trip  across  country  was  very  interesting,  the  stops 
for  meals  at  the  various  stations  serving  to  make  an 
agreeable  break.  On  my  arrival  at  Montgomery,  I  learned 
at  the  hotel,  that  the  "  St.  Nicholas,"  one  of  the  big 
river  steamers,  would  leave  for  Mobile  the  following  day 
at  noon,  and  having  engaged  my  stateroom,  I  took  the 
opportunity  of  looking  over  the  city,  which  is  the  capital 
of  the  State  of  Alabama,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Alabama  River,  having  a  population,  to-day,  of  over 
30,000.  It  was  then,  as  now,  an  important  shipping 
point  for  cotton.  The  banks  are  high  along  the  river 
front,  but  at  this  time  there  was  a  very  high  stage  of 
water.  The  streets  of  the  city,  which  covered  a  large 
area,  were  very  wide,  bordered  with  spreading  shade 
trees  having  the  most  beautiful  foliage.  Shrubs  and 
flowers  were  in  full  bloom  and  in  the  greatest  profusion, 
distilling  their  grateful  fragrance  upon  the  soft  and 
balmy  air.  Leaving  at  noon,  the  boat  took  her  course 
down  the  river,  midstream,  for  Mobile. 

The  "  St.  Nicholas  "  was  one  of  the  old-time  Southern 
river  boats,  of  light  draught,  with  a  spacious  saloon  and 


172  OCEAN    LIFE 

a  bar.  The  management  furnished  good  accommodations 
and  set  a  fine  table.  The  captain  and  other  officers  were 
courteous  and  obliging,  sparing  no  pains  in  looking  after 
the  comfort  of  their  passengers. 

Approaching  Mobile,  we  found  the  river  banks  over- 
flowed, making  the  surrounding  country  look  like  an 
inland  sea.  All  this  sort  of  sailing  was  something  quite 
new  to  me,  and  the  trip  from  Montgomery  to  Mobile 
was  most  enjoyable.  At  its  close,  I  took  the  boat  for 
New  Orleans,  via  Lake  Pontchartrain,  where  we  arrived 
the  next  morning,  and  boarding  the  steam-train  I  was 
landed  at  the  railroad  station  in  New  Orleans  about 
11  A.  M. 

I  found  the  ship  had  been  chartered  to  load  tobacco 
for  Marseilles.  The  first  and  second  mates,  Mr.  Henry 
P.  Connor  and  Mr.  Saunders,  were  on  board,  and  on 
recommendation  of  Captain  Gray,  the  former  captain, 
their  services  were  retained,  and  the  selection  was  for- 
tunate, as  they  proved  most  competent  and  efficient 
officers.  (Mr.  Connor  at  this  time  of  writing  has  been 
retired  from  the  service  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship 
Company  for  ten  years.  He  had  commanded  the  finest 
ships  for  a  long  term  of  years,  his  last  command  being 
the  steamship  "  New  York/'  which  he  took  from  New 
York  to  San  Francisco  when  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship 
Company  retired  from  the  Atlantic  trade  to  the  Pacific.) 

Our  lading  completed,  the  gangs  of  cotton-screwers, 
who  had  been  employed  on  board,  wishing  to  get  out  of 
the  city  for  the  summer  months,  made  application  for 
the  crew's  positions.  They  were  a  fine  set  of  men,  and 
all  being  good  sailors,  they  were  given  a  note  to  the 
shipping-master,  and  by  him  were  duly  enrolled  on  the 
ship's  articles. 

For  a  better  crew  I  could  never  wish.    Only  one  fracas 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER  173 

occurred  during  the  voyage,  and  that  was  occasioned  by 
the  action  of  the  steward,  a  little  fellow,  but  a  capital 
man  for  his  position.  His  only  failing  was  a  tendency 
to  be  arrogant  and  overbearing  towards  the  forward 
hands,  when  he  came  in  contact  with  them. 

While  serving  dinner  one  day  in  the  cabin,  a  sailor 
brought  the  bread-barge  aft  for  him  to  fill.  It  should 
have  been  brought  at  night  or  in  the  morning,  when  he 
was  not  busy,  so  he  kept  the  man  waiting  until  he  got 
ready,  then  filled  the  barge,  and  as  he  gave  it  to  him,  told 
him  not  to  come  again  at  that  hour,  using  some  abusive 
language.  This  Jack  resented,  and  told  him  if  he  would 
come  out  from  the  cabin  he  would  polish  him  off.  In  a 
moment  there  was  a  mix-up  on  the  quarter-deck  in  front 
of  the  cabin  door.  Mr.  Connor,  the  mate,  was  in  his 
room,  heard  the  row,  and  stepped  out.  When  he  saw 
the  steward  on  the  deck  with  the  man  on  top,  pounding 
him,  he  promptly  knocked  Jack  over,  and  then  ordered 
the  steward  to  the  cabin,  and  the  man  forward.  This 
would  have  ended  it,  but  the  steward,  after  Mr.  Connor 
had  gone  back  to  his  room,  foolishly  went  forward  and 
the  altercation  was  renewed. 

The  steward,  being  in  the  enemy's  camp,  was  now 
having  a  bad  time  of  it.  The  second  mate  was  at  dinner, 
and  Mr.  Connor,  again  hearing  the  noise,  went  forward 
on  the  lee  side,  where,  taking  in  the  situation,  he  started 
to  interfere,  but  this  was  resented  by  the  crew  and  all 
hands  pitched  into  him!  He  knocked  down  two  men, 
but  finding  the  odds  against  him  rather  heavy,  he  seized 
a  handspike,  and  having  backed  against  the  house,  was 
doing  good  work,  while  with  heavers,  belaying-pins,  and 
fists  the  crew  sought  to  reach  him.  Knowing  nothing  of 
all  this,  I  came  from  the  cabin  to  take  a  smoke,  when  I 
was  accosted  by  the  steward,  who  had  deserted  Mr.  Con- 


174  OCEAN    LIFE 

nor  and  came  aft.  "  Mr.  Connor  is  having  trouble 
forward,  sir,"  he  said.  I  walked  past  the  house  on  the 
lee  side,  and  the  scene  for  a  moment  was  startling.  Five 
or  six  men  were  stretched  out,  bleeding  freely,  and  Mr. 
Connor,  bloody  and  thoroughly  aroused,  was  standing 
off  a  half-dozen  who  were  trying  to  get  in  a  blow,  the 
rest  having  retreated  to  the  foVsle.  Perceiving  that 
it  was  no  time  to  ask  questions,  I  grasped  a  heaver,  and 
the  men,  seeing  the  captain  and  second  officer,  who  at 
that  moment  came  round  the  house  from  the  wind'ard 
side,  retreated  to  the  foVsle,  followed  by  the  officers. 
Bringing  the  heaver  across  the  arm  of  one  in  the  act  of 
drawing  a  knife,  I  caused  him  to  drop  it;  a  stampede 
was  made  from  the  foVsle  to  the  deck,  and  the  excite- 
ment was  over. 

The  mate's  head,  which  was  badly  cut,  was  bandaged, 
and  all  hands  were  ordered  aft,  while  the  two  ringleaders 
were  placed  in  irons,  below,  in  the  half-deck,  and  kept 
on  bread  and  water  for  forty-eight  hours. 

The  riot  act  was  read  to  the  others,  who  were  then  sent 
forward,  after  which  the  steward  was  called  into  the 
after  cabin  and  received  the  "  talking  to  "  of  his  life, 
with  the  assurance  that  he  richly  deserved  the  thrash- 
ing which  he  would  get,  if  the  like  happened  again. 
On  the  promise  of  better  behavior,  the  two  men  were 
taken  out  of  irons  the  second  day  and  everything  settled 
down  to  its  usual  routine. 

Off  Cadiz  the  ship  encountered  a  strong  levanter, 
and  ran  down  under  the  lee  of  Cape  Spartel.  Here, 
fully  protected  from  the  violence  of  the  wind,  she  backed 
and  filled  around,  in  company  with  a  dozen  sail  of  other 
craft,  who  had  also  sought  shelter  under  the  cape.  On 
the  second  day,  standing  out  towards  Spartel,  and  seeing 
an  English  man-of-war  wear  ship  and  head  to  the  north- 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER  175 

'ard,  the  "  Whitney  "  was  put  under  close-reefed  topsails, 
whole  foresail,  and  lower  staysails,  and  heading  from 
the  cape  to  the  Spanish  shore,  running  well  in,  tacked 
ship  in  smooth  water.  Again  standing  over  for  Sp artel, 
we  found  we  had  gained  a  little.  It  was  a  hard  beat, 
but  midnight  found  us  off  Tarifa,  from  then  until  daylight 
barely  holding  our  own.  Day  broke  with  dense  masses 
of  vapor,  or  fog,  shutting  off  the  view  of  land  on  either 
side  of  the  straits,  the  wind  still  blowing  heavily.  By 
10  A.  M.  the  fog  lifted,  when,  the  mainsail  being  given  her, 
she  began  to  gain,  and  by  four  in  the  afternoon  passed 
Gibraltar,  from  Spartel  to  Europa  Point,  the  southern 
point  of  the  Rock,  taking  thirty  hours,  but  we  had  the 
satisfaction  of  arriving  at  our  port  seven  days  in  advance 
of  those  left  under  the  lee  of  the  cape.  Half-way  between 
Gibraltar  and  Cape  de  Gata  a  favorable  slant  of  wind  was 
taken,  carrying  us  to  Marseilles,  making  the  passage 
fifty-four  days  from  New  Orleans. 

Docking  in  the  new  basin,  and  obtaining  pratique 
(passing  the  board  of  health),  we  were  at  once  besieged 
by  every  class  of  tradespeople  and  artisans  who  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  shipping  to  solicit  the  ship's  patronage. 
The  first  day  we  had  consignees,  stevedores,  and  trades- 
people selected,  and  commenced  discharging  the  second. 

A  large  number  of  American  ships  being  in  port,  many 
captains  having  their  wives  with  them,  there  was  no  lack 
of  company,  while  drives  and  sightseeing  made  the  time 
pass  very  pleasantly,  and  one  could  hardly  realize  it, 
when  the  time  for  our  departure  had  arrived. 

While  lying  in  the  basin,  a  most  amusing  incident 
occurred,  more  amusing  to  the  onlookers  than  to  myself. 
It  was  Sunday  morning  and  I  had  made  an  engagement 
to  drive  out  with  several  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  to 
dine  with  them  afterwards.  Having  dressed  with  unusual 


176  OCEAN    LIFE 

care,  a  short  time  before  starting  I  remembered  some- 
thing I  had  on  board  that  I  wished  for,  and  taking  a 
carriage  and  driving  to  the  dock,  I  obtained  a  shore  boat 
and  started  for  the  ship,  that  lay  moored  to  the  buoy 
with  chains  from  her  stern  to  the  pier.  The  cargo  being 
out  brought  her  high  out  of  water,  while  a  French  ship 
had  hauled  alongside,  shutting  our  gangway  off,  and  the 
only  way  of  reaching  it  was  by  crossing  over  her  decks. 
She  was  deep  in  the  water,  while  the  "  Whitney  "  towered 
above  her.  She  had  just  been  painted,  and  a  ladder 
was  hanging  over  the  bows  to  accommodate  any  one 
wishing  to  get  on  board,  an  awkward  place  to  climb 
up,  but  the  only  way  to  reach  my  gangway.  Mounting 
the  ladder  carefully,  to  avoid  the  paint,  and  starting  aft, 
I  had  reached  the  main  hatch,  when,  with  a  tremendous 
howl,  a  dog  that  looked  very  large  and  fierce  came  bound- 
ing towards  me.  He  looked  wicked,  and  not  a  soul  in 
sight.  Putting  my  dignity  in  my  pocket,  and  making 
a  spring  to  the  main  rigging,  I  never  stopped  until  I  was 
half-way  to  the  top;  then  looking  down,  I  saw  a  small 
boy  who  had  come  out  of  the  cabin  administer  a  cuffing 
to  the  dog,  that  I  now  perceived  was  securely  muzzled. 
To  make  it  worse,  the  rigging  had  been  freshly  tarred, 
besmearing  me  from  head  to  foot.  As  I  descended  the 
rigging  I  could  see  my  men  lying  around  the  to'gallant 
foVsle  chuckling,  and  all  on  the  broad  grin  at  the  "  old 
man's  "  dilemma.  This,  of  course,  I  pretended  not  to  see, 
and  went  to  my  cabin,  where  a  complete  change  was 
necessary. 

No  suitable  freight  offering,  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney " 
took  her  departure  for  Trapani,  Sicily,  to  purchase  a 
cargo  of  salt  on  the  ship's  account  for  New  Orleans. 

Trapani,  a  very  pretty  city,  nestles  down  at  the  foot 
of  Mt.  Julian.  On  this  mountain  the  ancient  city  of  that 


NEW    ORLEANS    IN    WINTER  177 

name,  founded  by  the  Saracens  about  300  A.  D.,  was  built. 
I  visited  the  ruins,  which  are  very  interesting,  several 
times  during  my  stay.  Only  one  other  American  ship, 
the  "  Isaac  Jeanes,"  Captain  William  Chipman,  was 
in  port.  She  was  lying  close  in  at  the  landing. 

The  ship  "  Isaac  Jeanes,"  a  photograph  of  the  model 
of  which  accompanies  this  sketch,  was  built  of  white 
oak  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  by  William  Cramp: 
dimensions,  160  feet  long,  33  feet  beam,  21  feet  6  inches 
hold,  843  tons  register,  1,150  tons  dead  weight.  The 
Philadelphia  Public  Ledger  of  April  1,  1854,  thus  records 
the  event  of  the  launch  of  this  fine  ship  as  having  taken 
place  on  the  day  previous,  which  happened  to  be  on 
Friday: 

"  Thursday  was  originally  fixed  for  the  launch,  but  the 
tide  not  being  sufficiently  full,  a  postponement  until 
Friday  was  determined  on,  notwithstanding  the  general 
hostility  to  that  day.  She  glided  off  in  the  most  beautiful 
style,  and  her  advent  could  not  have  been  more  propitious 
had  it  occurred  on  the  most  lucky  day  of  the  week.  The 
new  ship  is  a  fine  specimen  of  naval  architecture,  and  is 
destined  for  the  Mediterranean  trade,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Chipman.  Messrs.  Jeanes  &  Co.  have  also  a 
ship  ('  Wm.  Chamberlain ')  of  900  tons  on  the  stocks 
at  the  same  yard,  which  is  to  be  commanded  by  Captain 
Isaac  Jennings.  The  contract  for  a  third  ship  ('  Bridge- 
water/  Captain  E.  W.  Barstow),  of  between  1,600  and 
1,700  tons,  for  the  same  firm,  has  been  taken  by  Mr. 
Cramp." 

The  "  Isaac  Jeanes  "  made  nine  voyages  before  her 
sale  in  New  York  in  July,  1862,  when  she  was  altered 
into  a  barque,  and  finally  went  ashore  inside  South  Head 


178  OCEAN    LIFE 

below  San  Francisco,  where  she  went  to  pieces  March 
9,  1876. 

Her  fourth  voyage,  from  Philadelphia  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  made  in  108  days.  She  was  considered  a  smart 
and  handsome  ship. 

It  was  on  her  seventh  voyage  —  New  York  to  Balti- 
more, in  ballast,  from  Baltimore  to  Marseilles,  from  there 
to  Trapani,  from  thence  to  New  Orleans  —  that  she 
made  one  of  the  two  American  ships,  the  other  being 
the  "  J.  P.  Whitney,"  that  were  lying  here  at  Trapani. 


CHAPTER   XVII 
1859  -  1860 

TAKING  THE  BLACK  VEIL  IN  SICILY.  —  RETURN  VOYAGE  TO 

NEW  ORLEANS. TREMENDOUS  ROLLS  AND  AN  ANIMATED 

OMELETTE. A    WEDDING    PARTY    ON    SHIPBOARD 

THE  ship's  hold  was  made  ready  for  the  cargo  of  salt 
purchased  through  the  agency  of  Senor  Luigi,  who  also 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  salt  agent  for  Captain  Chipman. 
I  went  on  board  the  "  Isaac  Jeanes  "  and  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  captain  and  his  estimable  wife,  a 
most  charming  lady,  quiet  and  reserved,  yet  bright  and 
vivacious  with  her  friends,  bubbling  over  with  good 
humor  and  a  fine  conversationalist.  Captain  Chipman 
was  a  gentleman  of  rare  ability,  and  one  whom  I  was  more 
than  pleased  later  to  number  among  my  friends. 

In  a  few  days  there  came  another  arrival,  the  ship 
"  Edward  Hymen,"  Captain  Neal,  belonging  to  the  same 
owners  as  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney."  Mrs.  Neal,  the  captain's 
wife,  being  with  him,  a  pleasant  little  party  was  made  up 
for  sightseeing.  Together  we  visited  the  churches, 
monasteries,  nunneries,  and  all  places  of  interest  in  the 
city.  Taking  delightful  drives  into  the  country,  we 
inspected  the  vineyards,  now  laden  with  great,  rich 
clusters  of  delicious  grapes,  of  which  we  could  pick  and 
eat,  all  as  free  as  air. 

One  of  these  excursions  was  to  the  ancient  ruins  of 

179 


180  OCEAN    LIFE 

Trapani  on  Mt.  Julian.  We  noted  a  portion  of  a  wall  of 
an  old  church  or  temple  that  was  almost  covered  with 
Saracen  heads.  The  coloring  looked  as  fresh  as  though 
recently  put  on,  yet  many  hundred  years  had  passed 
since  the  artist  had  finished  his  work.  He  had  gone  to 
dust  ages  ago,  yet  his  work  remained,  and  the  process 
that  preserved  the  coloring  in  such  a  state  of  perfection 
has  become  one  of  the  lost  arts.  The  Baths  of  Venus 
were  also  very  interesting. 

While  our  dinner  was  being  prepared  at  a  Sicilian  cafe, 
we  sat  in  a  room  on  the  second  floor  with  the  wide  open 
windows  that  extended  to  the  floor  admitting  the  soft 
balmy  breezes,  while  directly  opposite  were  the  windows 
and  gray  walls  of  a  richly  endowed  convent,  which  were 
built  out  beyond  the  walls  with  arched  gratings,  so  that 
the  nuns,  or  sisters,  could  sit  in  them,  veiled,  and  take 
the  air.  Shortly  two  appeared,  heavily  veiled,  and  seating 
themselves,  seemed  to  be  conversing  together.  We, 
especially  the  ladies,  watched  them  with  great  interest, 
and  their  conversation,  by  their  animated  gestures,  seemed 
to  be  of  anything  but  a  very  solemn  nature.  The  ladies 
said  they  were  laughing  heartily,  perhaps  at  us,  for  Captain 
Neal  was  doing  his  best  to  attract  their  attention,  but 
they  gave  no  sign  of  seeing  us.  Changing  her  position,  one 
slightly  disarranged  her  veil,  showing  just  a  glimpse  of 
a  sweet  face,  young  and  beautiful,  not  over  two  or 
three  and  twenty,  the  ladies  said.  In  a  few  moments 
more,  both  vanished  from  our  sight  within  the  convent 
walls. 

When  dinner  was  ready  all  Sicilian  dishes  were  served. 
The  menu  was  composed  of  spaghetti,  stews,  macaroni, 
tomatoes  and  peppers,  chicken  fricasseed  with  tomatoes, 
sweets,  light  wines  with  fruit,  black  coffee  and  bread. 

All   thoroughly  enjoyed  the  spread,  after  which  the 


TAKING    THE    BLACK    VEIL    IN    SICILY  181 

gentlemen  lit  their  cigars,  and  while  smoking  admired 
the  view.  From  where  we  sat,  the  bright  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  were  spread  before  us  dotted  with 
beautiful  islands.  A  few  miles  away  lay  Marsala,  with 
its  glittering  mounds  of  snow-white  salt,  appearing  like 
a  small  piece  of  the  frozen  north  drifted  into  summer 
seas.  Taking  carriages,  we  commenced  our  descent, 
and  part  way  down  we  stopped  at  a  monastery  of  Gray 
Friars,  receiving  a  cordial  welcome,  with  permission  to 
look  over  the  buildings.  Everything  wore  a  sombre  hue, 
nothing  to  soften  or  light  up  the  stern,  austere  aspect 
of  the  rooms  or  cells.  In  one  large  room  were  the  skeletons 
of  friars  who  had  passed  away,  piled  up  in  tiers,  each 
one  tagged,  stating  who  he  was,  when  he  died,  and  per- 
haps a  few  remarks  on  his  life-work.  Some  were  in  open 
caskets,  while  in  the  centre  and  at  the  ends  of  the  room 
were  piled  artistically  great  mounds  of  skulls,  thigh 
bones,  and  other  portions  of  the  human  anatomy,  present- 
ing a  most  lugubrious  appearance. 

The  friars  themselves  were  garbed  in  the  plainest  and 
most  severe  style.  A  coarse  robe  and  cowl,  and  a  hair- 
rope  girdle  tied  around  their  waists,  with  the  ends  hanging 
down  in  front,  completed  their  costume. 

We  thanked  the  brethren  for  their  courtesy,  and  con- 
tributing a  small  sum  for  the  benefit  of  the  Order,  we 
took  our  carriage  and  commenced  the  descent,  which 
having  been  accomplished,  we  drove  to  Luigi's  office.  As 
we  were  in  the  act  of  alighting  a  bell  struck,  and  instantly 
all  business  stopped.  Pedestrians,  carriage  drivers,  each 
and  every  one  dropped  on  their  knees,  crossing  themselves, 
repeating  their  prayers  and  Ave  Marias  in  the  most  solemn 
and  devout  manner.  This  continued  for  a  few  moments, 
when  all  arose,  and  business  went  on  as  if  there  had 
been  no  interruption. 


182  OCEAN    LIFE 

The  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  of  Trapani  included 
ten  thousand  priests. 

A  few  days  after  the  visit  to  old  Trapani,  Mr.  Luigi, 
our  salt  agent,  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  seen  the  act  of  taking 
the  black  veil,  adding  that  the  daughter  of  a  family  with 
whom  he  was  intimate  was  about  to  do  so,  and  giving 
me  a  cordial  invitation  to  attend  the  church  with  him 
and  witness  the  ceremony,  which  offer  was  quickly  ac- 
cepted, with  thanks. 

On  the  appointed  day  we  were  early  on  hand  at  the 
church,  which  was  well  filled  with  the  friends  of  the 
family.  Shortly,  a  procession  of  maidens,  with  the  young 
lady  at  their  head,  profusely  decorated  with  flowers,  all 
being  dressed  in  white,  wended  their  way  up  the  hill  and 
entered  the  church  doors.  All  knelt,  while  the  service 
went  on,  and  she  took  upon  herself  the  holy  vows.  Adjoin- 
ing the  body  of  the  church,  which  was  of  vast  dimensions, 
was  the  convent  or  nunnery,  with  grated  windows,  or 
rather  openings,  through  which  the  sisterhood  could  see 
and  hear  all  that  was  going  on,  without  being  themselves 
seen. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  part  of  the  service  a  priest 
appeared,  and  let  down  her  luxuriant  hair,  which  fell  in 
waves  about  her  shoulders,  rippling  down  to  the  floor. 
With  a  pair  of  shears,  he  severed  it  close  to  her  head, 
and  taking  it  in  her  hands,  she  went  around  among  her 
weeping  relatives  and  friends,  and  giving  each  a  tress 
with  a  few  words  of  cheer  and  comfort,  she  smilingly 
returned  to  the  priest,  when  the  black  veil  was  thrown 
over  her  head,  and  taking  her  hand,  he  led  her  back  of 
the  altar,  both  vanishing  from  sight. 

Then  arose  a  strain  of  music  mingled  with  the  voices 
of  the  nuns  from  the  grated  openings,  low  and  soft, 
gradually  swelling  in  volume,  yet  thrillingly  sweet  and 


TAKING    THE    BLACK   VEIL    IN    SICILY   183 

clear.  Higher  and  higher  it  mounted,  until  in  one  grand 
burst  of  melody  it  rang  among  the  fretted  arches  of  the 
roof,  seeming  to  fill  that  old  sanctuary  with  one  pssan  of 
triumph  at  the  rescue  of  a  soul  from  sin,  and  a  fitting 
welcome  into  the  portals  of  Paradise.  It  was  to  me 
one  of  the  most  impressive  sights,  and  still  lingers  in  my 
memory.  The  young  lady  herself  was  very  beautiful. 
I  was  told  by  my  agent  that  the  young  girls  are  all 
educated  in  the  convents,  during  which  time  they  wear 
the  white  veil.  After  receiving  their  education,  and 
mingling  with  the  world,  their  great  aim  is  to  form  a 
suitable  matrimonial  alliance.  They  will  not  marry  below 
their  station,  and  as  the  wealthy,  eligible  young  ladies 
far  outnumber  the  young  men  who  are  up  to  their  stand- 
ard, and  as  it  is  a  disgrace  to  remain  single  after  ascertain 
age,  if  they  receive  no  suitable  offer  by  the  time  they  are 
three  or  four  and  twenty,  they  will  generally  renounce 
the  world,  enter  the  convent,  and  taking  the  black  veil, 
epend  the  remainder  of  their  lives  within  its  walls,  devoting 
their  service  and  wealth  to  the  church. 

In  Trapani,  chickens,  fowls  and  eggs  cost  but  very 
little,  so  little  that  besides  live  stock  three  beef  barrels 
were  filled  with  eggs  and  laid  down  in  salt  for  the  home- 
ward voyage.  Two  of  the  barrels  were  placed  against 
the  bulkhead  of  the  inner  or  ladies'  cabin,  and  by  running 
a  plank  from  the  mizzenmast  to  the  side  of  the  cabin 
they  were  deemed  perfectly  secure  against  any  mishap 
on  account  of  the  weather. 

Our  salt  in,  and  Luigi  the  agent  settled  with,  our 
anchor  was  weighed  and  sail  made,  and  with  a  fine 
easterly  breeze  we  said  good-by  to  Trapani,  having 
passed  a  most  pleasant  three  weeks  in  its  waters. 

We  had  a  quick  run  to  Gibraltar  and  through  the 
straits,  where,  some  ninety  or  a  hundred  miles  west  of 


184  OCEAN    LIFE 

Cape  Spartel,  we  encountered  a  hard  gale  from  west  north- 
west that  blew  with  great  violence,  the  ship  being  hove 
to  under  a  close-reefed  main  topsail,  and  foretopmast 
staysail  for  twelve  hours,  with  a  high  sea  running,  the 
ship  making  good  weather,  except  when  she  would  fall 
off  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  causing  her  to  roll  heavily. 

Breakfast  had  been  announced  by  the  steward,  and  I 
was  seated  in  an  armchair  at  the  head  of  the  table,  with 
Mr.  Connor,  the  first  officer,  on  a  settee  at  my  right.  The 
steward  was  having  his  hands  full  keeping  the  dishes  on 
the  table,  for  they  evinced  an  unaccountable  desire  to 
jump  over  the  storm-racks.  The  forward  dining-cabin 
had  an  oilcloth  carpet,  which  when  wet  was  very  slippery. 
The  table,  settees,  and  chairs,  of  course,  were  secured. 

Coffee  had  been  served,  and  we  were  in  the  act  of  lifting 
our  first  cup,  when  the  ship  gave  several  tremendous 
rolls.  We  were  holding  on  to  the  table,  when  suddenly 
the  lashings  gave  way,  or  rather  the  staples  drew  out  of 
the  deck,  and  over  went  the  table,  with  all  the  breakfast 
and  dishes,  and  before  we  could  rise  from  our  seats,  the 
two  barrels  of  eggs  broke  adrift,  and  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  it,  every  egg  was  smashed,  and  a  sea  of 
yolks  and  whites  of  eggs,  mingled  with  the  debris  of  the 
breakfast,  was  sweeping  across  the  oilcloth  with  every 
roll  of  the  ship. 

Both  mate  and  steward  had  gone  down  in  the  mass, 
and  it  was  simply  impossible  to  recover  their  footing, 
while  with  every  lurch  they  would  be  swept  from  side 
to  side,  threatening  to  stave  in  the  panels  of  the  stateroom 
doors  with  their  heads.  My  chair  fortunately  did  not 
turn  over,  but  with  me  in  it,  with  feet  drawn  up,  was 
dashed  from  side  to  side,  until  I  grasped  a  door-knob, 
holding  on  for  dear  life,  at  the  same  time  calling  for  the 
second  mate.  The  scene  in  the  cabin  was  indescribable. 


CAPTAIN   WILLIAM    CHIPMAN 


TAKING    THE    BLACK    VEIL    IN    SICILY  185 

A  snap-shot  taken  at  the  psychological  moment  would 
have  been  a  bonanza  to  a  photographer. 

The  second  officer,  in  response  to  my  summons,  ap- 
peared at  the  cabin  door,  and  taking  in  the  situation, 
called  in  three  or  four  of  the  watch.  Life-lines  were 
thrown  in,  and  Mr.  Connor,  the  steward  and  myself, 
were  dragged  out  of  our  ridiculous,  as  well  as  most 
uncomfortable  position.  A  few  buckets  of  water  made 
both  the  mate  and  steward  look  a  little  less  like  animated 
omelettes. 

The  work  of  cleaning  up  the  mess  with  buckets,  swabs, 
and  brooms  took  about  all  the  forenoon,  but  beyond  the 
loss  of  the  eggs,  and  the  bruises  and  "  barkings  "  of  legs 
and  arms,  no  damage  was  done. 

The  gale  moderating  and  the  wind  hauling  northerly, 
sail  was  again  made,  and  a  week  later  saw  us  within  the 
region  of  the  trade  belt,  with  all  the  canvas  that  could 
be  piled  on,  making  good  headway  towards  our  destina- 
tion. Delightful  weather  and  favoring  winds  made  the 
passage  to  the  Windward  Islands  a  very  pleasant  one, 
and  carrying  the  same  steady  winds  through  the  Caribbean 
Sea  and  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney  "  arrived 
off  the  Southwest  Pass  forty-five  days  from  Trapani, 
and  taking  a  towboat,  in  due  course  made  fast  at  the 
levee  in  New  Orleans  and  commenced  the  discharge  of 
our  salt. 

During  my  absence,  Mrs.  Whiting,  who  was  an  owner 
of  three-eighths  of  the  ship,  sold  her  interest  to  Captain 
George  T.  Avery  to  take  command,  which  he  now  did, 
and  I  turned  the  ship  over  to  him,  receiving  orders  to 
wait  for  another  ship,  then  on  her  way  from  Liverpool 
to  New  Orleans,  in  the  meantime  settling  down  on  shore 
to  await  the  "  R.  B.  Sumner's  "  arrival. 

The  photograph  of  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney  "  incorporated 


186  OCEAN    LIFE 

in  this  work  is  from  a  painting  made  at  Malta  in  1864. 
She  was  built  at  Castine,  Maine.  She  was  dismasted  off 
the  mouth  of  the  Hoogly  River  to  avoid  being  driven 
ashore,  and  afterwards  refitted  at  Calcutta,  sailed  for 
Mauritius,  and  foundered  with  nearly  all  on  board  during 
a  typhoon  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 

Captain  George  T.  Avery,  to  whom  I  turned  over  the 
command  of  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney  "  at  New  Orleans,  was 
born  at  Castine,  Maine,  Feb.  9, 1825,  and  died  at  Newbury- 
port,  Mass.,  Sept.  20,  1884.  He  followed  the  sea  as  a 
calling  for  over  forty  years,  commanding  during  that 
time  many  of  the  finest  ships  of  our  merchant  marine  in 
the  days  of  the  old  sailing  ships;  among  them  the  "  Daniel 
I.  Tenney,"  the  "  Importer,"  and  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney." 
He  was  a  typical  New  England  representative  of  our 
old-time  shipmasters.  Honest,  fearless  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty,  self-reliant,  he  won  the  esteem  and  respect, 
not  only  of  his  employers,  but  of  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  Genial  and  courteous  in  his  social  relations, 
and  upright  in  all  his  dealings,  he  passed  through  life 
a  useful  member  of  society  and  an  ornament  to  his  chosen 
profession.  In  his  death  he  was  truly  mourned  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

The  photographs  of  the  ships  here  mentioned  were 
tendered  through  the  courtesy  of  Captain  Avery's  son, 
Mr.  Edward  W.  Avery  of  Melrose,  Mass.,  who  was  born 
on  the  ship  "  J.  P.  Whitney,"  off  Bermuda,  and  the  ship 
was  his  home  for  the  first  three  years  of  his  life. 

The  illustration  shows  the  "  Daniel  I.  Tenney  "  passing 
Pier  Head,  Havre,  France,  outward  bound.  She  was 
built  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  registered  tonnage  1,727, 
and  was  a  very  deep  ship,  having  three  full  decks.  The 
upper  deck  was  flush  fore  and  aft.  The  crew's  and 
officers'  quarters  being  below  decks  made  her  easily 


TAKING    THE    BLACK    VEIL    IN    SICILY  187 

handled  in  tacking  or  wearing  ship.  Although  not  a 
sharp  built  ship,  she  once  outsailed  the  clipper  ship 
"  Seminole,"  and  made  a  record  of  324  miles  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  She  was  a  big  carrier,  once  having  2,576 
tons  of  coal  and  30,000  feet  of  lumber  in  her  hold.  She 
was  sold  and  converted  into  a  coal  barge,  and  was  lost 
with  all  hands  off  Cape  Cod,  the  same  night  the  steamship 
"  Portland  "  went  down  with  all  on  board. 

The  time  passed  pleasantly  until  the  "  R.  B.  Sumner  " 
was  reported  at  the  bar,  —  a  fine  ship,  somewhat  larger 
than  the  "  Whitney,"  but  I  was  disappointed  about 
taking  the  command. 

Captain  Elisha  Dyer  was  an  owner  of  one-quarter 
interest,  and  fully  intended  staying  on  shore  that  trip, 
and  had  so  notified  the  firm,  but  he  had  been  recently 
married,  and  his  wife  took  a  notion  she  would  like  to 
make  a  sea  voyage  with  her  husband.  As  a  consequence 
he  concluded  to  hold  on  to  the  command  for  another 
trip,  and  as  there  was  not  another  vacancy  in  the  fleet, 
like  Micawber,  I  "  waited  for  something  to  turn  up." 

I  engaged  rooms  at  a  nice  boarding-house  on  Julia 
Street,  close  to  Magazine,  where  the  family  of  Captain 
Gray,  former  captain  of  the  "  J.  P.  Whitney,"  had  theirs, 
the  rest  of  the  boarders  being  young  men,  mostly  clerks 
and  bookkeepers  in  the  mercantile  and  cotton  houses 
of  the  city.  Mrs.  Conklin,  a  widow,  who  kept  the  house, 
had  three  grown  up  daughters,  and  a  son  who  was  in 
business  in  the  city;  a  very  fine  family,  the  girls  being 
pretty,  bright,  intelligent,  and  fond  of  music,  while  Mary, 
the  eldest,  was  a  fine  harpist,  and  an  accomplished 
pianist. 

It  was  the  early  winter,  and  the  city  was  in  gala  attire. 
Balls,  theatre  parties,  and  the  opera  were  the  regular 
thing,  while  evening  parties  at  the  house,  musicoles 


188  OCEAN    LIFE 

and  oyster  suppers  constituted  a  round  of  gaiety  that 
was  very  fascinating  to  a  young  man. 

About  this  time  my  old  friend  and  schoolmate,  Captain 
Eben  Graves,  arrived  in  port  in  command  of  the  barque 
"  Panama."  Not  having  seen  each  other  for  years,  the 
meeting  was  a  most  pleasurable  one  for  both,  and 
our  house  being  full,  I  gave  him  a  cordial  invitation  to 
come  up  and  share  my  rooms,  which  he  gladly  accepted. 
I  introduced  him  to  Mrs.  Conklin  and  the  girls,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  he  was  like  a  member  of  the  family. 
Instead  of  going  out  in  the  evenings,  he  preferred  to 
spend  them  at  home,  and  I  soon  saw  that  between  him 
and  Miss  Mary  it  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight.  As  his 
stay  was  limited,  matters  had  to  arrange  themselves 
quickly,  and  one  evening  after  I  had  retired  he  awakened 
me  to  tell  me  the  deed  was  done,  Miss  Mary  had  accepted 
him,  and  Mrs.  Conklin  had  given  her  consent.  The 
wedding  was  fixed  for  Saturday  of  the  coming  week,  at 
9  o'clock  in  the  morning.  After  the  wedding  breakfast 
Captain  Graves  was  to  take  his  bride,  with  her  family, 
servants  and  all,  on  board  the  barque.  I,  as  best  man, 
was  to  stand  up  with  the  captain,  and  accompany  the 
wedding  party  to  the  barque,  being  placed  in  command 
pro  tern,  to  take  her  down  river  to  the  lower  levee  to  make 
up  the  tow,  while  the  captain  attended  to  his  affairs  up 
town,  and  I  was  given  carte  Uanche  to  provide  dinner. 
At  eight  P.  M.  the  good-bys  would  be  said,  and  Captain 
Graves  and  his  bride  would  leave  for  New  York,  while 
our  carriages  would  take  us  all  back  to  the  house.  This 
was  the  programme  as  laid  out  by  the  captain  that  night 
in  my  room. 

Extending  my  warmest  congratulations  to  my  old 
friend,  I  suggested  the  advisability  of  getting  a  little 
sleep,  as  it  was  then  one  o'clock,  but  Graves  was  not 


TAKING   THE    BLACK   VEIL    IN    SICILY  189 

sleepy,  and  nearly  two  hours  passed  before  I  succeeded 
in  closing  my  eyes. 

From  that  time  on,  all  was  bustle  and  preparation; 
the  invitations  were  issued,  and  the  hundred  and  one 
things  had  to  be  attended  to,  that  precede  a  wedding. 
The  sisters  were  in  a  whirl  of  excitement,  while  I,  having 
no  special  business  of  my  own,  took  a  hand  in  all  that 
was  going  on.  The  week  passed  quickly,  and  the  wedding 
morn  ushered  in,  with  bright  sunshine,  a  most  lovely  day. 

The  guests  gathered  in  the  parlors,  which  had  been 
prettily  decorated,  and  just  before  nine  o'clock  the  wed- 
ding party  descended  the  stairs,  and  took  their  places, 
Miss  Eva  Lovering,  a  dear  friend  of  Miss  Mary,  and  a 
most  charming  young  lady,  being  bridesmaid. 

They  were  married  with  the  Episcopal  service.  The 
words  that  bound  them  together  for  life  were  uttered, 
the  signatures  were  made,  congratulations  were  extended 
to  the  newly  married  pair,  not  forgetting  the  kiss  to  the 
bride,  who,  blushing,  looked  prettier  than  ever.  The 
bridal  party  then  descended  to  the  breakfast  room, 
under  the  guidance  of  brother  "  Tom,"  who,  as  master 
of  ceremonies,  filled  the  position  most  gracefully.  Here 
for  an  hour  mirth  and  jollity  reigned,  after  which  the 
ladies  retired  to  change  their  costumes,  and  carriages  were 
taken  by  Mrs.  Captain  Graves  and  family  for  the  ship. 

After  seeing  the  party  on  board  the  captain  left  for 
up  town,  and  at  noon  a  towboat  took  the  barque  to  the 
lower  levee,  where  the  tow  was  made  up,  the  "  Panama  " 
being  the  outside  ship. 

After  dinner  had  been  served,  the  family  party  sat 
under  the  awnings  inspecting  the  shipping,  and  asking 
all  manner  of  questions.  Not  having  ever  been  on  a 
vessel  of  any  kind  before,  it  was  a  novel  experience  for 
them.  By  five  o'clock,  the  captain  came  on  board,  and 


190  OCEAN   LIFE 

ordered  tea,  but  no  one  seemed  inclined  to  eat  anything 
more,  and  as  time  drew  near  for  parting  with  their 
sister  the  girls  grew  silent,  a  tear  would  glisten,  an  eyelash 
quiver,  while  they  would  laugh  and  try  not  to  show  it. 

At  last  the  whistle  of  the  boat  sounded  warning,  "  All 
ashore  that's  going  ashore! "  and  with  a  final  embrace, 
a  hearty  handshake,  and  a  fervent  "  God  bless  you," 
the  ladies  were  assisted  across  the  shipping  to  the  levee, 
where  entering  the  carriages,  we  drove  home,  more  silent 
than  in  the  morning.  Arrived  at  the  house,  an  hour  was 
spent  in  conversation,  the  topic  being  "  the  captain  and 
Mary." 

"  What  kind  of  a  voyage  will  she  have?  "  "  Will  she 
be  likely  to  be  seasick?  "  and  lots  of  other  questions  were 
addressed  to  me,  to  all  of  which  I  gave  consoling  replies. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 
1860  -  1861 

BUYING  INTO  THE  " 

IN  THE   TROPICS. THE  SALADERO   DE  LA  FONDA,  MON- 
TEVIDEO.—  THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  WAR  ON  FOREIGN  TRADE 

THE  next  few  days  were  spent  in  writing  and  sending 
notices  to  all  friends,  north  and  south,  after  which  every- 
thing settled  down  into  the  regular  routine,  and  I  remained 
in  New  Orleans  until  the  early  spring,  then  taking  passage 
for  Boston,  I  purchased  a  quarter  interest  in  a  full-rigged 
brig,  between  four  and  five  hundred  tons  burthen,  that 
had  been  condemned  by  the  United  States  government 
as  a  slaver  engaged  in  the  slave  trade  between  the  coast 
of  Africa  and  Cuba. 

This  vessel  had  a  history  that  I  afterwards  found  out, 
but  at  the  time  I  knew  nothing  more  than  that  she  had 
been  picked  up  derelict  off  St.  Thomas  by  a  Provincetown 
whaler  and  brought  into  Provincetown.  She  had  no 
flag,  nor  papers.  Everything  by  which  she  could  be 
identified  had  been  destroyed.  There  were  slave-shackles 
on  board,  and  lumber  for  slave-decks,  a  large  number  of 
water  casks,  and  all  the  fittings  of  a  slave-ship;  she  was 
taken  and  condemned  as  such  by  the  government,  and 
sold  at  auction  to  Mr.  Charles  W.  Adams  of  Boston.  He 
in  turn  sold  one  quarter  interest  to  me,  to  take  command. 

1G1 


192  OCEAN    LIFE 

She  was  placed  in  Kelley's  dry  dock,  East  Boston. 
Her  cabin,  which  was  below  decks,  was  torn  out  and  a 
deck-house  was  put  on  for  cabin  accommodations;  also 
a  new  galley  in  the  place  of  the  old  iron  caboose.  Her 
heavy  copper  was  stripped  off  and  replaced  by  yellow 
metal,  and  about  1,500  through  locust  treenails  driven, 
to  strengthen  her.  Altogether  she  was  a  queer-looking 
craft.  Her  cabin,  which  had  extended  to  the  mainmast, 
was  finished  in  mahogany  and  boxwood,  with  staterooms 
on  each  side.  In  the  panels  of  the  staterooms  were 
imbedded  bullets  that  had  been  fired  from  the  skylight,  — 
at  the  captain,  probably,  —  while  on  the  deck,  in  front 
of  one  of  the  rooms,  was  a  large  stain  of  blood. 

Spanish  built,  with  bluff  bows  above  water,  below 
she  was  very  sharp,  and  from  her  mainmast  aft  she  fell 
away,  carrying  nothing  under  the  cabin  deck  but  pig 
iron  ballast.  Above  the  between-deck  beams  she  widened 
out,  her  greatest  beam  being  at  the  fore  rigging;  from  that 
she  fell  away  aft,  being  very  narrow  at  the  stern,  and 
steered  with  a  big,  long  mahogany  tiller,  which  was  taken 
off,  and  a  wheel  substituted. 

Having  bought  her  from  the  government,  an  American 
register  was  obtained  with  some  difficulty  on  account  of 
her  being  of  foreign  build.  The  name  given  her  by  the 
purchaser  was  "  Charles  W.  Jordan."  Her  spars  were 
heavy,  and  of  great  spread,  while  from  topmast,  to'gal- 
lant  and  royalmast  heads  hung  heavy  preventer  back- 
stays, to  which  tackles  could  be  hooked,  and  set  up  to 
heavy  eye-bolts  through  the  deck-beam  on  either  side, 
the  brig  having  every  facility  for  carrying  sail  to  the 
limit,  if  necessary. 

Having  shipped  a  crew,  the  "  Jordan "  sailed  for 
Machias,  Maine,  to  load  lumber  for  Rio  Janeiro,  and  the 
run  from  Boston  to  that  port  showing  her  sailing  capa- 


BUYING    THE    "  C.    H.    JORDAN"       193 

bilities,  I  felt  that  nothing  that  did  not  use  steam  was  to 
be  feared.  At  Machias  we  took  on  our  lumber,  including 
deck-load  even  with  the  rails,  and  at  the  close  of  a  dark, 
lowering  day  took  our  leave  of  Machias  port,  and  the 
gale  increasing,  by  midnight  we  were  scudding  under 
close  reefs,  headed  south  for  the  Gulf  Stream. 

At  the  time  of  sailing,  the  whole  country  was  watching 
for  the  impending  conflict  between  the  North  and  South, 
although  hostilities  had  not  actually  commenced. 

Seeing  few  vessels  and  speaking  none,  our  passage  to 
the  equator  was  made  in  exceptionally  quick  time,  the 
N.  E.  trades  being,  up  to  10°  north,  quite  strong,  and 
from  this  point  falling  off,  but  continuing  of  moderate 
strength  to  5°  north,  when  they  failed  altogether,  and  a 
calm  of  a  week's  duration  succeeded. 

There  is  scarcely  anything  more  annoying  than  a  pro- 
tracted calm  at  sea,  especially  after  having  made  a  good 
passage  up  to  a  given  point.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
bounded  only  by  the  horizon,  lies  a  glassy  unbroken 
surface,  perhaps  a  slight,  undulating  ocean  swell,  on 
which  the  vessel  lazily  rolls  from  side  to  side,  or  lies 
motionless,  the  sails  hanging  limp  or  clewed  up  to  prevent 
slatting  and  chafing.  The  sun,  like  a  ball  of  fire,  beats 
down  upon  the  deck,  causing  the  pitch  and  tar  to  bubble 
out  of  the  seams,  while  the  deck  is  like  a  furnace.  Awnings 
are  spread,  but  the  men  go  about  their  work  in  a  listless, 
half-hearted  way,  while  the  captain  gazes  eagerly  around, 
whistling  softly  for  a  breeze,  so  the  day  wears  on.  Old 
Sol  is  getting  lower  and  lower,  until  like  a  fiery  globe  he 
sinks  below  the  horizon's  edge.  The  shadows  deepen 
and  night  creeps  o'er  the  sea,  and  the  stars  come  out, 
while  a  delicious  coolness,  in  contrast  with  the  fierce  heat 
of  the  day,  is  felt.  There  is  no  sign  of  a  wind.  So  passes 
the  night,  and  almost  before  the  stars  have  faded,  the 


194  OCEAN   LIFE 

watch  is  turned  to,  decks  are  washed  down  and  scrubbed, 
while  every  bit  of  woodwork,  outside  and  in,  receives  its 
baptism  of  ocean  water. 

Meanwhile  another  day  draws  on  apace  and 

"  Noiselessly  as  the  daylight 
Comes  when  the  night  is  done, 
And  the  crimson  streak 
On  ocean's  cheek, 
Grows  into  the  great  sun." 

Still  no  darkening  shadow  of  a  coming  breeze,  and  we 
lie 

"  As  idle  as  a  painted  ship 
Upon  a  painted  ocean." 

Day  after  day,  and  sometimes  week  after  week,  passes, 
and  still  no  wind.  One  can  imagine  the  horrors  of  the 
"  middle  passage  "  (from  the  coast  of  Africa  to  Cuba) 
on  a  slave-ship  in  the  old  slave-carrying  days,  with  such 
a  calm.  But  relief  is  at  hand.  Afar  off  on  the  horizon 
a  few  small  clouds  are  seen,  while  along  the  edge  appears 
a  dark  shadow,  gradually  spreading  and  rapidly  advan- 
cing. No  squall  that,  but  a  steady  wind,  the  first  welcome 
breath  of  the  S.  E.  trades,  and  we  know  the  calm  is  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

With  every  stitch  spread,  and  every  sail  trimmed  to 
meet  it,  the  good  brig  heels  gently  over,  the  white  foam 
thrown  from  her  bows,  and  once  more  endowed  with 
life,  she  crosses  the  line,  with  yards  braced  sharp,  con- 
tinuing her  way  along  the  Brazilian  coast. 

We  sighted  Cape  Frio,  and  bearing  away  to  the  west- 
ward, the  following  morning  entered  the  beautiful  bay 
of  Rio  Janeiro. 

The  brig  having  a  clean  bill  of  health,  the  doctor's 
visit  was  soon  over,  and  the  ship-chandler's  boat  pulled 


BUYING    THE    "  C.    H.    JORDAN"       195 

alongside.  He  wished  to  know  if  I  wanted  to  go  on 
shore,  but  as  it  was  between  four  and  five  p.  M.  I  concluded 
to  wait  until  morning.  He  chanced,  however,  in  naming 
over  the  American  vessels  in  port,  to  mention  the  barque 
"  Panama,"  Captain  Graves.  This  altered  the  case, 
and  I  told  him  I  believed  I  would  go,  after  all,  and  having 
been  taken  alongside  the  barque,  I  ascended  the  gangway 
and  stepped  on  deck,  where  the  first  officer,  who  was  a 
stranger,  received  me.  On  inquiring  for  the  captain  I 
was  told  he  had  not  yet  come  off  from  shore. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Graves  on  board?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  would  you  like  to  see  her?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  as  the  captain  is  not  on  board.'"' 

He  ushered  me  on  to  the  quarter-deck  abaft  the  house, 
where  Mrs.  Graves  sat  in  a  rocker,  and  started  to  announce 
me,  when,  with  one  look  and  a  scream  of  delight,  she 
sprang  from  her  chair,  warmly  greeting  me,  and  seating 
ourselves,  we  commenced  a  review  of  the  time  since  we 
parted.  I  answered  all  questions  about  the  family,  but 
we  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  she  suddenly  exclaimed, 
as  a  boat  pulled  towards  us: 

"  There  comes  Eb.;  we'll  give  him  a  surprise!  " 

Then  she  hustled  me  into  a  stateroom,  where  from 
my  retirement  I  could  hear  Captain  Graves  say  as  he 
came  aft: 

''  What!  all  alone,  Mary?  I  saw  some  one  here  as  I 
came  aboard!  Where  is  he?  " 

After  keeping  him  wondering  awhile,  she  pointed 
towards  the  door  of  the  stateroom  where  I  was,  and 
opening  it,  we  stood  face  to  face! 

With  a  shout  he  recognized  me,  and  a  hearty  welcome 
and  handshake  followed. 

We  had  so  much  to  talk  about  that  they  insisted  upon 
my  taking  up  my  quarters  with  them  while  in  port,  to 


196  OCEAN    LIFE 

which  I  gladly  assented,  going  on  board  the  brig  daily, 
and  returning  at  night  to  the  "  Panama." 

At  the  request  of  my  consignee  I  rechartered  the 
"  Jordan  "  to  take  the  cargo  on  to  Montevideo,  instead 
of  discharging  at  Rio,  lumber  being  more  in  demand 
there,  and  a  week  later,  bidding  good-by  to  Captain 
Graves  and  wife,  with  the  wish  that  I  might  see  them 
on  my  return,  the  "  C.  H.  Jordan  "  got  under  way,  and 
running  out  past  the  fort  and  Sugar  Loaf,  with  a  fine 
breeze  was  soon  bowling  along  towards  Cape  St.  Mary,  and 
nothing  of  note  occurring,  in  a  week  we  dropped  anchor  in 
the  harbor  of  Montevideo.  Uruguay  is  the  smallest  of 
the  South  American  republics,  covering  an  area  of  but 
seventy-two  thousand  square  miles,  while  its  capital 
Montevideo  is  the  chief  commercial  center,  having  a 
population  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
inhabitants.  All  fruits  and  vegetables  grown  in  Europe 
can  be  successfully  raised  there,  the  hot  season  holding 
sway  from  November  to  April,  and  the  cold  season  from 
May  to  October.  The  chief  industries  are  the  raising 
of  cattle  and  sheep,  and  other  agricultural  pursuits. 
The  value  of  its  animal  products  exported  in  1897 
was  nearly  twenty-seven  million  dollars,  that  of  jerked 
beef  alone  amounting  to  about  four  and  one  half- 
millions. 

Quite  a  number  of  vessels  were  in  port,  among  them 
several  American,  including  the  United  States  frigate 
"  Congress."  (The  sailing  frigate  "  Congress,"  50  guns, 
sunk  in  Hampton  Roads,  Va.,  March  8,  1862,  after  having 
been  disabled  while  fast  aground,  by  the  Confederate  iron- 
clad steam-battery  "  Virginia,"  rebuilt  on  the  hull  of 
the  U.  S.  steam  frigate  "  Merrimac."  This  battle  was 
the  introduction  of  steel  and  steam  into  the  navy.) 

I  was  ordered  by  the  consignees  of  our  lumber  to 


CAPTAIN   JOSEPH  W-  CLAPP 


BUYING    THE    "  C.    H.    JORDAN"       197 

discharge  at  once,  and  recharter  to  take  a  cargo  of  jerked 
beef  back  to  Rio  Janeiro,  and  while  making  arrangements 
with  Mr.  Evans,  — -  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter  in 
connection  with  the  death  of  Captain  Smiley,  —  ship- 
chandler  and  provision  dealer,  who  supplied  about  all 
the  shipping  with  beef  and  vegetables,  I  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  the  different  shipmasters,  who  made 
their  headquarters  at  Evans's  store,  getting  the  news 
there,  etc.,  etc. 

Evans  was  a  sharp,  shrewd  Englishman  without  much 
education,  but  keen  at  a  trade,  bluff  and  jolly,  though 
at  times  very  emphatic  in  his  language.  His  business 
and  books  were  superintended  and  kept  by  Captain  Joseph 
W.  Clapp,  a  genuine  Nantucketer,  who  was  the  most 
original  of  men.  Honest,  attentive  to  business,  with  an 
eye  always  to  his  employer's  interest,  he  displayed  a 
rare  tact  in  dealing  with  customers,  that  was  invaluable 
to  Mr.  Evans,  who  was,  at  times,  inclined  to  be  irritable 
when  anything  went  wrong,  and  many  took  exception  to 
his  language;  but  a  witty  remark  or  a  funny  story  from 
"  Joe  "  would  straighten  matters  out,  and  I  think  Evans 
owed  his  success  in  business,  in  a  great  measure,  to  Clapp's 
ability,  honesty  and  faithfulness.  In  society  he  was  a 
general  favorite;  full  of  humor,  and  witty  in  conversation, 
he  possessed  a  fund  of  stories  of  his  island  home  and  its 
inhabitants,  that  he  could  draw  upon  at  will. 

Horseback  riding  was  freely  indulged  in,  as  at  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  many  a  gallop  I  enjoyed  to  the  other  side  of 
the  bay,  where  was  located  the  "  Saladero  de  la  Fonda," 
an  immense  establishment  for  the  slaughtering  of  cattle 
and  the  curing  and  putting  up  of  the  "  Carne  Tasaga," 
or  jerked  beef  of  commerce,  that  was  exported  to  Brazil 
and  France  in  immense  quantities.  This  was  a  place  well 
worth  visiting,  and  a  goodly  number  of  rides  were  taken 


198  OCEAN    LIFE 

around  the  bay  to  see  the  process  of  converting  the  steer 
into  jerked  beef. 

There  was  a  very  large  one-story  building,  or  more 
properly  shed,  open  at  the  sides,  with  a  stone  flooring, 
and  gutters  to  carry  off  the  blood  that  literally  ran  in 
rivers  during  the  killing  process,  while  along  its  entire 
length  was  a  double  track  terminating  at  one  end  in  a 
corral,  or  enclosure,  which  was  built  with  an  inclined 
plane  towards  the  end  nearest  the  shed,  narrowing  down 
to  the  width  of  a  broad  platform  car,  that  during  the 
killing  was  introduced  under  the  bars  of  an  enclosure 
between  the  shed  and  the  end  of  the  corral.  This  corral 
would  contain  three  or  four  hundred  steers,  and  had  an 
opening  into  a  large  one  that  held  many  thousands.  The 
walls  of  the  smaller  corral  were  broad  enough  for  a  man 
to  walk  on  them  around  it,  and  throw  the  lasso  over  the 
cattle's  heads,  when  they  were  jerked  down  on  to  the 
platform  car  standing  ready  to  receive  them;  the  other 
end  of  the  lasso  being  carried  through  a  pulley  into  a 
patio,  or  yard  outside,  where  it  was  attached  to  a  horse 
ridden  by  a  gaucho,  who,  on  the  call  from  the  lassoer, 
spurred  up  and  yanked  the  animal  out  from  among  the 
others  down  the  incline  on  to  the  car. 

On  a  small  platform,  close  to  the  bars,  stood  the  man 
who  did  the  killing,  and  who,  by  reaching  over,  could 
strike  the  animal  just  back  of  the  horns  in  the  neck  with 
a  knife,  severing  the  spinal  cord,  when  the  steer  would 
drop,  as  though  shot,  on  to  the  car,  and,  the  bars  being 
drawn,  it  would  shoot  out  along  the  track,  which  was 
lined  with  men  about  five  or  six  feet  apart,  who  tumbled 
them  off  the  car,  and  in  less  than  two  minutes  they  were 
dissected.  They  took  off  the  hide  with  a  few  sweeps  of 
the  long,  sharp  knives,  two  more  removed  the  flesh  from 
the  ribs,  while  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  the 


BUYING    THE    "  C.    H.    JORDAN"       199 

hide  was  going  in  one  direction,  the  beef  to  vats  for  the 
soaking  previous  to  pressing  out  and  the  curing  in  the 
sun,  — during  which  time  no  rain  was  allowed  to  fall 
upon  it,  —  making  the  jerked  beef  of  commerce,  while 
the  bones,  hoofs  and  horns  were  taken  to  the  rendering 
house.  There  were  separate  establishments  for  all  these 
purposes,  and  the  entire  works  covered  many  acres,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  great  corral  capable  of  holding  ten 
thousand  head  of  cattle. 

A  funny  incident  occurred  during  one  of  my  visits, 
although  for  a  short  time  it  seemed  to  me  to  possess  more 
of  the  tragic  element.  One  fine  morning,  I  had  ridden 
over  alone,  fastened  my  horse,  and  entered  the  shed  that 
was  supported  by  iron  columns,  not  over  clean,  and  was 
standing  near  the  bars,  watch  in  hand,  timing  a  man  as 
to  the  length  of  time  he  took  to  skin  and  dismember  a 
steer;  this  work  being  so  rapid  as  to  excite  wonder. 

Sometimes  when  the  bars  would  be  dropped  to  let 
the  car  out,  the  killer  having  missed  his  aim,  the  car 
would  come  out  with  the  steer  alive  and  unhurt,  in  which 
case  there  would  be  fun  for  a  few  moments  before  the 
animal  was  killed. 

This  was  the  case  on  this  particular  morning.  A  shout 
called  my  attention  from  the  man  I  was  watching,  and 
looking  around,  I  caught  sight  of  an  infuriated  bull, 
with  tail  in  air,  and  lowered  head,  making  for  me.  Regard- 
less of  clothing,  I  made  a  spring  for  a  column  and,  climbing 
it,  was  just  in  time  to  escape  his  onrush,  which  was  a 
fierce  one.  Turning  from  me,  he  attacked  a  pile  of  beef, 
which  flew  in  all  directions.  The  workman  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  rear  of  the  columns,  from  behind  one  of 
which  a  man,  as  the  animal  passed,  sprang  out,  knife  in 
hand,  and  hamstringing  him,  the  excitement  was  over. 
These  fellows  did  not  mind  it;  a  loose  wild  bull,  being  an 


200  OCEAN    LIFE 

affair  of  almost  daily  occurrence,  had  no  terrors  for 
them. 

Meeting  on  shore  daily  the  officers  from  the  men-of-war 
in  port,  as  well  as  the  merchant  captains,  I  listened  with 
interest  to  the  animated  discussions  on  the  prospects 
of  a  civil  war,  and  the  probable  result  from  the  same. 
Among  the  officers,  many  of  whom  were  Southern  men, 
the  feeling  was  intense,  and  news  was  anxiously  awaited 
with  every  mail.  Captains  gathered  each  day  at  Evans's, 
and  the  situation  was  the  all-absorbing  topic  of  conver- 
sation. 

The  lumber  discharged,  the  hold  of  the  "  C.  H.  Jordan  " 
was  made  ready,  by  being  matted,  for  the  return  cargo  of 
jerked  beef,  not  an  inviting  article  to  look  at,  but  when 
washed  and  made  into  a  savory  stew  better  than  it 
looked.  Our  lading  completed  and  anchor  weighed,  we 
rounded  the  point,  passing  Lobos  Island  and  Cape  St. 
Mary,  headed  north  for  Rio. 

With  the  exception  of  a  little  brush  off  the  Rio  Grande, 
our  passage  was  a  fair  one,  and  in  nine  days,  the  brig 
again  passed  the  Sugar  Loaf,  and  came  to  anchor  in  the 
bay  off  the  landing  mole.  The  next  day  we  hauled  into 
what  was  called  the  "  jerked  beef  tier,"  a  line  of  small 
vessels  that  were  moored,  head  and  stern,  off  the  city 
front,  extending  from  the  mole  to  Cobras  Island,  and 
having  only  cargoes  of  jerked  beef  on  board,  which  were 
retailed  from  the  vessel.  Between  the  water  front  and 
this  line  was  a  passage  for  boats  and  small  steamers. 

As  the  shore  people  attended  to  the  sale  and  delivery 
of  the  cargo,  and  I  had  sixty  lay  days  to  deliver  the 
same,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  take  it  easy. 

On  shore  among  the  shipping  fraternity  the  war 
excitement  was  at  fever  heat.  The  news  of  the  firing  on 
Fort  Sumter  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  had 


BUYING    THE    "  C.    H.    JORDAN"       201 

been  received,  and  all  knew  what  that  meant.  Besides 
the  vessels  hailing  from  northern  ports,  there  were  a  very 
large  number  of  barques  and  brigs  hailing  from  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  and  other  southern  ports,  all  engaged 
in  the  coffee  trade.  These  were  in  a  dilemma  indeed. 
Once  outside  the  shelter  of  the  Bay  of  Rio  Janeiro,  they 
were  liable  to  seizure  as  prizes  by  any  American  man-of- 
war  that  happened  along.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was 
the  choice  of  staying  in  port  while  the  war  lasted,  and 
that  might  be  for  years,  and  Rio,  though  a  beautiful 
spot  to  visit,  was  not  just  the  place  where  one  would 
choose  to  remain  the  year  round  indefinitely,  or,  as  Jack 
would  say,  "  until  the  vessel  grounded  on  her  beef  bones." 

"  Curses  both  loud  and  deep  "  were  frequent,  while 
heated  arguments  in  favor  of  the  North  or  the  South,  as 
the  case  might  be,  were  freely  indulged  in  by  the  numerous 
captains.  It  was  not  only  the  Southerners  who  were 
troubled  in  mind ;  the  flag  was  shut  down  on,  and  freights 
were  not  obtainable  for  Yankee  bottoms  without  great 
difficulty.  Visions  of  Southern  privateers,  loss  of  ship, 
and  a  sojourn  in  a  Southern  port  or  prison  loomed  up 
in  the  mind  of  the  Northern  captain,  while  many  were 
not  only  anxious  to  get  home,  but  also  to  enroll  themselves 
in  the  army  or  navy  as  defenders  of  the  constitution  and 
the  right. 

To  my  great  joy,  I  found  the  "  Panama  "  still  in  port 
under  orders  to  wait  for  coffee,  but  the  consignees  had 
not  deemed  it  best  to  load  her,  as  yet,  and  going  on 
board  I  found  an  addition  to  the  Graves  family  of  a 
beautiful  little  daughter,  and  the  captain  was  a  very 
happy  man. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

1861  -  1862 

THE  FIASCO  OF  PROFESSOR  LOVE.  — THE  DOM  PEDRO  RAIL- 
ROAD.   BRAZILIAN     FORESTS. RIO     JANEIRO     TO    ST. 

THOMAS 

A  MONTH  later,  the  cargo  being  all  out,  and  not  seeing 
any  prospect  of  a  freight  north,  feeling  that  as  at  this 
distance  there  was  not  much  to  fear  from  privateers,  — 
it  would  be  better  to  engage  in  that  trade  than  to  lie 
idle  waiting  for  a  freight  to  be  offered  north,  —  I  chartered 
the  brig  to  a  Brazilian  firm  for  six  months  to  bring 
carne  tasaga,  or  jerked  beef,  from  Montevideo  to  Rio, 
and  bade  good-by  to  Captain  Graves  and  his  wife,  whom 
I  did  not  expect  to  see  on  my  return,  as  he  was  about 
to  commence  the  taking  in  of  his  coffee. 

The  day  before  sailing  I  was  asked  if  I  could  take  a 
passenger,  and  on  my  answering  in  the  affirmative  the 
passage  money  was  handed  me,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  was  to  be  aboard  before  daylight.  A  tug  having 
been  engaged,  the  brig  was  towed  to  sea  very  early,  the 
towboat  dropping  us  outside  the  islands,  where  taking 
the  sea  breeze,  by  nine  o'clock  we  were  once  again  on  our 
way  to  the  river.  Shortly  after  leaving,  the  main  topsail 
yard  was  carried  away  in  the  slings,  but  having  a  spare 
spar  on  board  it  was  quickly  replaced,  and  in  two  hours 
the  "  Jordan  "  was  all  right  again.  It  was  a  wonder 

202 


FIASCO    OF    PROFESSOR    LOVE         203 

that  the  old  spar  lasted  as  long  as  it  did,  for  on  examine 
tion  it  was  found  to  be  decayed  at  heart. 

Our  passenger,  whose  name  was  Love,  was  a  magician 
by  profession,  and  claimed  to  be  a  son  of  the  great  English 
magician  of  that  name,  but  in  reality  he  was  a  fraud  of 
the  first  water.  I  afterwards  found  out  that  he  was 
leaving  Rio  "  under  the  rose  "  and  that  there  were  many 
who  were  anxiously  looking  after  him.  I  knew  nothing 
of  him  at  the  time.  He  seemed  to  be  a  genial  chap,  who 
at  times  would  give  an  exhibition  of  his  skill  at  juggling 
which  appeared  to  us  very  mysterious,  and  we  were 
inclined  to  look  upon  him  as  one  likely  to  draw  a  crowd. 

His  intention  was  to  give  an  exhibition  at  the  Mount 
and  then  go  on  to  Buenos  Ay  res. 

With  fine  breezes  and  good  weather,  in  eight  days  we 
again  passed  Lobos  Island,  and  let  go  our  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Montevideo.  On  landing  I  introduced  Mr. 
Love  to  Mr.  Evans  and  Captain  Clapp,  bespeaking  their 
good  offices  for  him,  also  making  him  acquainted  with 
the  captains,  telling  them  his  profession,  and  booming 
him  with  a  good  word  whenever  I  had  the  opportunity. 

While  we  were  making  ready  for  another  cargo  of 
jerked  beef,  the  time  was  passed  when  on  shore  mostly 
at  Evans's  discussing  the  war  and  the  eventual  outcome. 
Meanwhile  Mr.  Love  had  been  busy. 

The  Grand  Opera  House  had  been  engaged  for  one 
night  only,  his  numerous  engagements  precluding  a  longer 
stay,  and  Montevideo  was  placarded  with  gaudy  posters 
setting  forth  the  accomplishments  of  the  great  Professor 
Love,  a  wizard  of  the  highest  order  and  son  of  the  late 
eminent  English  magician  of  the  same  name.  Never  was 
anything  better  advertised.  Montevideo  was  on  the 
qui  vive.  The  nerve  of  that  fellow  has  been  a  wonder  to 
me  ever  since! 


204  OCEAN    LIFE 

The  eventful  night  arrived,  and  the  immense  audi- 
torium was  packed  from  pit  to  dome,  Captain  Clapp  and 
myself  occupying  seats  in  the  dress  circle. 

There  was  no  orchestra,  so  the  great  audience  was 
thrown  upon  its  own  resources  until  the  raising  of  the 
curtain,  and  after  a  delay  of  half  an  hour  the  throng 
began  to  exhibit  signs  of  impatience. 

At  last,  up  went  the  curtain,  showing  the  dimly  lighted 
stage,  a  table  here  and  there,  and  one  or  two  rows  of  wax 
candles,  with  a  few  tawdry  figures  scattered  about. 
There  was  an  ominous  silence.  Presently  the  professor 
appeared  from  the  wings,  dressed  in  a  tinsel  robe  covered 
with  Egyptian  characters  and  hieroglyphics,  and  bowing 
to  the  floor,  first  to  the  east,  and  then  in  succession  to 
the  three  other  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  assumed 
different  postures  occupying  about  five  or  ten  minutes, 
while  the  audience  sat  in  wondering  silence.  Then  going 
behind  the  scene,  he  reappeared  in  a  moment,  and  per- 
formed some  simple  tricks  that  probably  every  one  had 
seen  many  times,  also  attempting  some  more  delicate 
work  with  an  assistant,  but  the  whole  performance  was 
so  flimsy  and  palpable  as  to  be  seen  through  by  the 
veriest  child. 

Directly  a  murmur  arose,  then  a  hiss,  then  more  hisses, 
until  an  uproar  of  indignation  filled  every  part  of  the 
house.  The  professor,  who  had  at  first  retired  from  the 
stage,  now  came  to  the  front  and  attempted  to  speak, 
but  the  uproar  was  such  that  he  could  not  be  heard. 
Then  came  a  shower  of  missiles,  —  cabbages,  turnips, 
potatoes,  eggs.  He  stood  his  ground  until  an  iron  crown 
that  some  one  had  torn  from  the  decorations  came 
whizzing  by  his  head,  just  missing  it.  Then  he  turned 
and  fled.  His  assailants  jumped  on  the  stage  in  pursuit, 
but  failed  to  catch  him,  as  he  had  made  good  his  escape 


FIASCO    OF    PROFESSOR    LOVE         205 

from  the  rear  of  the  theatre.  He  took  with  him  the  best 
part  of  the  receipts,  and  getting  on  a  steamer  just  leaving 
for  Buenos  Ayres,  was  seen  no  more. 

The  audience  vented  their  rage  on  all  his  stage  fittings. 

"  Well  "  said  Captain  Clapp,  or  "  Joe"  as  I  used  to 
call  him,  as  we  came  out  of  the  Opera  House  together, 
"  I'm  blowed  if  that  don't  beat  all.  What  if  that  iron 
crown  had  gone  four  inches  more  to  the  right?  " 

Love's  fiasco  formed  the  topic  of  conversation  for  many 
days  after. 

It  was  on  this  trip  that  I  obtained  in  Montevideo  full 
information  relative  to  the  history  of  the  brig  "  Charles 
H.  Jordan/7  former  slaver.  I  had  occasion  to  employ 
some  men  from  shore,  and  one,  on  coming  aboard,  looked 
around  and  exclaimed: 

"  Why,  I  know  this  craft,  only  she's  been  altered!  " 

Overhearing  the  remark,  I  called  the  man  aft,  and 
questioned  him.  He  said  he  had  made  two  voyages  in 
her  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  bringing  slaves  to  Cuba  and 
landing  them  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  near  the 
Isle  of  Pines.  Both  trips  had  been  successful,  and  the 
brig  being  very  fast,  and  a  great  favorite,  was  not  des- 
troyed after  landing  the  darkies,  as  was  often  the  case, 
to  remove  evidence.  He  said  she  was  a  very  old  vessel, 
built  originally  in  and  belonging  to  Barcelona,  Spain, 
and  being  in  great  favor  with  her  owners,  she  had  been 
rebuilt  on  the  same  lines,  and  sent  to  Havana,  where 
she  was  bought  for  the  slave-trade.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  run  he  left  her,  and  on  the  third  trip  to  the  African 
coast,  having  about  $30,000  in  specie  on  board,  the  crew 
mutinied  after  reaching  the  coast,  captured  the  brig  and 
killed  the  captain  and  other  officers,  shooting  the  captain 
from  the  skylight  in  front  of  his  stateroom.  Running 
the  brig  down  across  the  trades  until  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 


206  OCEAN    LIFE 

Thomas,  they  destroyed  everything  on  board  by  which 
she  could  be  identified,  and  taking  to  the  boats,  landed 
at  that  port,  giving  out  that  their  vessel  had  sunk.  From 
St.  Thomas  they  proceeded  to  Havana,  and  having  plenty 
of  money,  while  "  in  their  cups  "  they  betrayed  their 
secret  and  were  arrested.  Two  of  the  crew  turned 
state's  evidence,  and  the  rest  were  tried,  convicted,  and 
garroted.  The  brig  was  picked  up  by  a  whaler  as  before 
stated. 

Having  taken  our  cargo  of  jerked  beef  on  board,  we 
again  took  our  departure  for  Rio,  where  we  arrived  safely 
and  entered  our  berth  in  the  tier  for  the  sale  of  the  cargo. 

I  spent  most  of  the  time  on  shore,  daily  looking  for 
letters  and  news  of  the  war,  our  place  of  rendezvous 
being  at  the  ship-chandlery  of  George  Essling,  opposite 
Palace  Square. 

About  this  time  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  engineer 
of  the  name  of  Moore,  a  Virginian,  and  one  of  the  con- 
tractors for  the  building  of  the  Dom  Pedro  Railroad,  a 
road  that  was  being  built  from  Rio  across  the  Sierras, 
into  the  table-lands  of  Brazil,  to  bring  the  products  of  the 
interior  to  the  seaboard.  At  that  time  mules  were  the 
only  means  for  transportation.  During  the  rainy  season, 
for  almost  six  months  of  the  year  the  roads  were  nearly 
impassable.  It  was  impossible  to  get  the  products  to  a 
shipping  point,  and  even  in  the  dry  season  the  rates  of 
freight  were  enormous.  To  obviate  this,  the  Dom  Pedro 
Railroad  was  being  built  by  the  Brazilian  government. 
Mr.  Moore  had  a  section  of  the  road  to  build  beyond  the 
mountain  near  the  Parahiba  River,  and  being  in  the  city 
for  supplies,  gave  Captain  William  Hobbs,  of  the  ship 
"  Morning  Glory,"  and  myself  an  invitation  to  make 
him  a  two  weeks'  visit.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
would  be  coming  to  the  city  again  and  would  return  with 


FIASCO    OF    PROFESSOR    LOVE         207 

us.  We  gladly  accepted,  for  this  was  an  opportunity  to 
see  something  of  the  country  outside  the  limits  of  the 
port  that  was  not  to  be  slighted,  and  as  there  was  nothing 
to  keep  us  in  the  city,  we  made  our  preparations  without 
delay,  and  one  beautiful  morning  took  the  train  for 
Bellaine,  a  station  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  from 
Rio,  thence  to  the  village  of  Macawcos,  a  little  place  at  the 
foot-hills,  the  terminus  of  the  railroad.  On  leaving  the 
train,  we  found  a  party  of  four  or  five  of  Moore's  men 
with  mules,  and  one  horse  belonging  to  Moore.  Also 
awaiting  our  arrival  were  the  pack  animals  to  carry  the 
supplies  we  had  brought  along.  I  not  being  accustomed 
to  riding  a  mule,  Moore  gave  up  his  horse  to  me,  and  the 
freight  having  been  carefully  packed  on  the  animals,  we 
mounted  and  started  on  our  journey  across  the  range  of 
mountains.  A  fair  road  wound  around  hill  and  crag, 
sometimes  doubling  on  itself.  Upward,  and  still  upward 
we  climbed,  until  at  night  we  drew  rein  at  the  little 
hamlet  of  Brandon,  located  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain 
and  the  highest  part  of  the  road,  where  the  main  shaft 
of  the  tunnel  had  been  sunk. 

Moore  had  ordered  our  entertainment  ahead,  and 
alighting  from  our  tired  animals,  hungry  as  bears,  we 
entered  a  house  where  a  good  supper  awaited  us,  to  which 
we  did  ample  justice.  After  supper,  at  the  invitation  of 
the  section  superintendent,  we  went  down  the  shaft, 
upwards  of  a  thousand  feet  in  depth,  in  a  bucket.  There 
was  little  timbering,  and  it  seemed  a  long  time  descending 
through  the  walls  of  solid  rock.  The  headings  were  from 
eight  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  feet  from  the  shaft, 
and  the  workmen  looked  like  spectres,  flitting  about  in 
the  gloom.  I  was  told  the  tunnel  had  three  shafts  in 
which  the  work  went  on,  as  well  as  at  the  ends.  It 
appeared  to  be  a  stupendous  undertaking.  Again  entering 


208  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  bucket,  we  were  drawn  slowly  to  the  surface,  and 
thanking  the  superintendent  for  his  courtesy,  we  entered 
the  house  and  shortly  retired. 

The  temperature  at  this  height  was  a  marked  contrast 
with  that  of  Rio.  When  we  left  that  city  it  was  intensely 
hot,  while  here,  blankets  and  spreads  on  the  beds  were 
not  uncomfortable.  After  a  sound  sleep  we  awoke 
refreshed.  Outside  the  scenery  was  fine,  the  hills  and 
mountains  showing  up  grandly,  the  peaks  tinted  with 
the  light  of  the  coming  day,  while  lower  down  the  valley 
the  mist,  not  having  lifted,  still  shrouded  the  view. 

We  partook  of  a  hurried  breakfast,  and  again  mounting, 
commenced  our  descent  adown  the  western  slope,  and 
reaching  the  foot-hills  safely,  made  our  way  through 
heavily  wooded  districts,  along  ravines  and  over  hills, 
until  about  four  p.  M.  we  entered  Moore's  section  of  the 
road  and  proceeded  to  his  hut,  which  was  the  largest  of 
a  number.  It  was  used  for  general  dining  purposes, 
while  the  cooking  was  done  in  a  smaller  building  adjoining. 
Here  we  dismounted,  all  glad  to  rest,  the  section-hands 
gathering  at  the  big  hut  to  hear  the  news,  and  after  a 
hearty  supper  pipes  were  lighted  and  the  evening  was 
given  over  to  a  general  jollification. 

"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise,"  was  here  the  rule, 
and  by  nine  o'clock  the  visitors  from  other  sections  got 
astride  their  mules,  and  with  a  "  whoop,  la!  "  galloped 
off  in  the  darkness,  our  men  seeking  their  shake-downs, 
and  by  ten  the  camp  was  still,  all  hands  wrapped  in 

"  Tired  nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep." 

Gil  Bias  makes  "  Sancho  "  in  "  Don  Quixote  "  say, 
"  God  bless  the  man  who  first  invented  sleep,"  and 
I  think  all,  that  night,  would  have  echoed  the  prayer. 

Arising  with  the  daylight,  and  performing  our  ablu- 


FIASCO    OF    PROFESSOR    LOVE         209 

tions  in  a  big  tin  basin,  we  strolled  out  to  take  a  look  at 
our  surroundings  before  breakfast.  These  were,  a  large 
cleared  space  in  front  of  which  was  the  virgin  forest,  a 
clear  stream  of  water  a  couple  of  hundred  feet  from  the 
house,  and  the  woods  alive  with  birds  of  every  hue, 
parrots  and  paroquets  screaming  and  chattering,  their 
green  plumage  mingling  with  the  most  gorgeous  hues 
of  every  color  of  the  rainbow,  but  no  song-birds 
such  as  we  hear  in  our  New  England  woods.  About  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant  in  the  rear  of  the  hut  was  a 
ravine,  leading  up  among  the  hills,  from  which  day  and 
night  issued  a  noise  like  distant  thunder.  I  asked  Moore 
what  it  was,  and  he  replied,  "  Monkeys."  The  ravine, 
which  was  heavily  wooded,  contained  tens  of  thousands 
of  monkeys,  who  kept  up  an  incessant  roaring  resembling 
thunder. 

At  the  sounding  of  the  horn,  all  hands  filed  in  for 
breakfast,  which  consisted  of  flapjacks,  bacon,  sweet 
potatoes,  stewed  black  beans  and  farina;  the  last  two 
being  the  standard  dish  in  Brazil  among  the  working 
classes.  Having  made  a  hearty  meal,  the  cook  attended 
to  the  dishes,  the  hands  went  to  their  work,  and  Hobbs 
and  myself  had  a  great  desire  to  go  up  the  ravine,  but 
Moore  assured  us  it  would  not  be  safe,  as  many  of  the 
monkeys  were  of  very  large  size  and  would  attack  a  man 
very  quickly  if  angry,  and  that  there  were  so  many  of 
them,  one  would  stand  little  show  even  if  armed.  So 
reluctantly  we  gave  it  up,  and  spent  our  time  watching 
the  men  at  work,  strolling  in  the  forest  gun  in  hand  but 
seeing  little  to  shoot  at,  collecting  leaves  and  ferns  for 
specimens,  watching  the  many-hued  feathered  tribe,  and 
listening  to  the  monkeys  conversing;  thus  passed  the 
two  weeks  very  pleasantly  and  quickly. 

Taking  leave  of  the  section-hands  the  last  morning, 


210  OCEAN    LIFE 

we  rnjounted  our  mules,  this  time  leaving  the  horse  behind, 
as  we  were  going  over  the  line  of  railroad,  and  mules 
were  reckoned  to  be  more  sure-footed  than  a  horse,  and 
what  a  ride  that  return  trip  was !  Along  ledges,  the  path, 
in  some  places,  not  over  a  few  feet  wide,  where  one  looked 
straight  down  one  or  two  thousand  feet;  chasms  across 
which  a  few  trees  were  thrown,  and  you  could  look  on 
the  tree-tops  a  thousand  feet  below!  We  scaled  rocks 
where  it  was  necessary  to  dismount  and  clamber  up  after 
the  mules  as  best  we  could,  and  following  their  example, 
bracing  ourselves  on  banks  of  loose  earth,  we  would  shoot 
like  an  arrow  to  the  bottom  of  a  valley  eight  hundred 
feet  deep !  We  forded  streams,  and  at  one  time  narrowly 
avoided  a  dangerous  quicksand,  and  I  mentally  resolved, 
that,  when  built,  there  was  not  money  enough  in  Brazil 
to  tempt  me  to  become  a  conductor  or  engineer  on  the 
Dom  Pedro  Railroad. 

But  all  things  have  an  end;  so  it  was  with  our  trip, 
and  when  over  I  would  not  have  missed  it. 

When  I  arrived  in  Rio  I  found  no  chance  of  a  freight 
and  concluded  to  sail  for  home  in  ballast,  taking  the 
chances  of  privateers,  and  having  received  on  board 
what  few  stores  were  required  and  cleared  for  St.  Thomas, 
we  said  good-by  to  Rio  Janeiro. 


CHAPTER   XX 

1862 

LIVELY    CHASE    BY    A  PRIVATEER.  — IN  COMMAND  OF    SHIP 

"  DANUBE."  HEAVY      GALE.  CHINESE      PIRATES.  

THE    "  ARIEL  "    AT   SHANGHAI 


WE  passed  Cape  Frio,  and  along  the  Brazil  coast,  with 
fine  strong  trades,  Bahia  and  Pernambuco,  and  crossing 
the  equator,  were  once  more  in  the  home  waters  of  the 
north  Atlantic.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  seen  very  few 
vessels,  and  most  of  these  showed  no  disposition  to  be 
neighborly,  but  edged  off  as  far  as  possible.  We,  ourselves, 
looked  upon  every  craft  with  suspicion;  declining  an 
intimate  acquaintance  until  we  were  assured  in  our 
minds  that  she  had  no  evil  designs  against  us.  All  hands, 
fore  and  aft,  were  on  the  alert  for  a  Southern  privateer, 
but  again,  in  this  case,  the  old  adage,  "  A  watched  pot, 
etc.,"  proved  true,  and  one  beautiful  morning  we  sighted 
the  island,  and  entered  the  cozy  harbor  of  St.  Thomas. 
On  shore  I  found  the  flag  was  shut  down  on,  and  there 
were  no  available  freights  in  the  market  for  American 
bottoms,  and  having  received  the  latest  news  of  the  war, 
we  sailed  for  Boston. 

All  went  well  until  we  were  north  of  Bermuda  on  the 
southern  edge  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  coming  on  deck 
one  morning,  I  noticed  nearly  in  our  wake  a  fore-and-aft 
schooner  apparently  pursued  by  an  hermaphrodite  brig. 

2U 


212  OCEAN    LIFE 

It  had  been  blowing  strong,  with  dirty  looking  weather 
the  previous  night,  and  the  "  Jordan  "  was  under  double- 
reefed  topsails.  Both  the  pursued  and  the  pursuer  were 
close-hauled  on  the  port  tack,  with  every  inch  of  canvas 
that  could  be  crowded  on  them.  As  they  drew  up  on 
our  weather  beam  it  could  be  seen  that  the  schooner  was 
gaining  on  the  brig  and  outwinding  her,  and  evidently 
finding  it  was  of  no  use,  the  pursuer  bore  away,  and 
running  down  in  my  wake,  was  fast  overhauling  the 
"  Jordan."  I  watched  her  with  a  glass,  and  from  the 
number  of  men  on  her  deck,  I  became  suspicious,  and 
calling  all  hands,  the  tackles  were  hooked  on  to  the 
preventer  backstays,  while  the  order  was  given  to  shake 
out  reefs  and  loose  to'gallants.  This  work  the  boys  sprang 
to  with  a  will.  Topsails  were  mastheaded  and  to'gallant 
sails  set,  as  a  squall  that  had  been  gathering  to  wind'ard 
came  down  upon  us,  and  checking  in  the  yards,  and 
keeping  her  off  two  or  three  points,  the  old  brig  fairly 
flew  through  the  water,  reeling  off  fifteen  or  sixteen  knots 
at  least. 

The  squall  lasted  nearly  two  hours,  settling  down  into 
a  stiff  blow,  and  we  saw  nothing  more  of  our  privateer, 
if  such  she  was,  and  taking  a  pilot  in  the  bay,  we  passed 
Boston  Light,  sailed  up  the  harbor,  and  made  fast  along- 
side Battery  Wharf. 

I  found  the  office  on  Doane  Street  closed  when  I 
went  to  see  my  co-owner  Charles  W.  Adams,  and  upon 
going  into  Mr.  Deshon's  office  on  the  floor  below  to  make 
inquiries,  I  was  informed  that  he  had  been  engaged  in 
running  the  blockade  at  Galveston,  Texas,  with  his 
vessels,  and  had  been  arrested,  —  or,  rather,  had  gone 
out  of  the  back  door  as  the  United  States  marshal 
entered  at  the  front,  making  his  escape  into  Canada 
and  from  thence  to  England,  where  he  was  then  residing. 


SHIP  "DANIEL  i.  TENNEY. 
[See  page  186 


SHIP  "EDWARD  HYMEN." 
[See  page  186 


LIVELY    CHASE    BY    A    PRIVATEER    213 

On  my  return  to  the  brig  I  was  greeted  by  an  officer 
who  had  been  placed  in  charge  during  my  absence,  the 
"  C.  H.  Jordan  "  having  been  seized  by  the  government, 
i.  e.  Mr.  Adams's  part,  and  mine  being  indivisible  could 
not  be  separated  from  his,  and  so  was  held  as  rebel  prop- 
erty. This  was  a  dilemma,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it. 
The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  get  a  power  of  attorney  from 
Mr.  Adams,  which  his  brother  finally  succeeded  in  doing. 
We  had  her  appraised  and  purchased  her  for  the  sec- 
ond time  from  the  government,  to  whom  I  afterwards 
chartered  her  for  six  months  to  take  naval  stores  to  Port 
Royal  (South  Carolina),  and  placing  Captain  Knott  Bray 
of  Marblehead  in  command,  I  waited  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  "  Danube,"  then  on  her  passage  from  Rio  Janeiro 
to  New  York,  and  owned  by  my  uncle,  Mr.  Thomas 
Appleton  of  Marblehead. 

These  were  exciting  times,  —  the  spring  of  '62,  —  the 
dark  and  trying  days  of  the  Civil  War.  While  the  torch 
of  patriotism  glowed  brightly,  and  the  love  of  country 
kindled  in  the  bosoms  of  the  loyal  North,  still  there  were 
many  who  sought  to  extinguish  it,  by  giving  aid  and 
succor  to  those  who  were  doing  their  best  to  break  up 
the  republic,  and  trample  upon  the  constitution.  Troops 
were  almost  daily  departing  for  the  south,  while  the 
bulletin  boards  were  constantly  surrounded  by  eager 
throngs  anxious  for  news  from  the  front. 

I  had  been  recently  married,  and  with  the  ship's  arrival 
I  took  my  departure,  with  my  wife,  for  New  York,  to 
take  command. 

The  "  Danube  "  was  a  fine  ship,  of  a  thousand  tons 
register,  and  had  been  chartered  to  load  coal  for  Shanghai, 
China.  She  had  been  fitted  out  for  eighteen  months,  and 
it  was  the  intention  of  the  owner  to  have  her  remain  in 
the  China  seas,  freighting,  while  the  war  lasted,  there 


214  OCEAN    LIFE 

being  a  better  show  there  than  in  home  waters,  with  less 
chance  of  capture  by  privateers. 

Taking  leave  of  New  York,  and  towing  out  past  Sandy 
Hook,  we  bade  good-by  to  Mr.  Appleton  and  his  wife, 
and  other  friends,  who  had  accompanied  us  down  the  bay 
to  see  us  off  and  return  on  the  towboat.  Sail  was  made 
quickly,  fasts  cast  off  from  the  tug,  and  the  "  Danube  " 
was  fairly  entered  upon  her  long  voyage. 

It  was  currently  reported  that  Southern  privateers  were 
in  the  vicinity,  including  Semmes  in  the  Confederate 
cruiser  "  Alabama,"  and  a  sharp  lookout  was  kept  day 
and  night,  but  no  sign  of  any  craft  bearing  the  "  Bon- 
nie Blue  Flag  "  was  sighted,  and  the  "  Danube  "  crossed 
ihe  equator  without  making  the  acquaintance  of  friend 
or  foe. 

Good,  strong  S.  E.  trades  swept  us  along  the  Brazil 
coast,  when  taking  the  fresh  westerly  gales,  we  were  soon 
up  with  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  passed  it  with  strong 
gales  veering  from  southwest  to  west-northwest,  and 
again  entered  the  waters  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  From  this 
time  on,  strong,  steady  gales  prevailed,  with  snow  and 
hail  storms,  the  "  Danube  "  scudding  under  lower  topsails, 
and  reefed  foresails,  reeling  off  her  two  hundred  and 
eighty  to  three  hundred  miles  per  day.  This  was,  indeed, 
glorious  sailing. 

In  the  longitude  of  Mauritius  we  experienced  a  gale 
of  more  than  usual  severity.  While  not  a  revolving  storm, 
it  blew  with  hurricane  force.  The  barometer  had  hung 
very  low  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  sky  had  a  wild 
look.  It  was  blowing  very  heavily,  with  a  high  sea  run- 
ning, so  I  deemed  it  best  to  heave  to  before  night,  which 
was  done,  the  ship  making  good  weather,  shipping  no 
water.  At  eleven  p.  M.  (six  bells)  the  sea  seeming  a 
little  smoother,  we  kept  her  off  on  her  course  under  two 


LIVELY    CHASE    BY    A    PRIVATEER    215 

lower  topsails.  By  eight  bells  (morning  watch)  it  was 
blowing  great  guns,  harder  than  ever. 

Daylight  broke,  showing  a  wild  scene.  The  wind  was 
blowing  with  tremendous  force,  but  the  worst  feature 
was  the  piling  up  of  the  seas,  like  huge  mountains  of  water 
high  above  and  threatening  to  sweep  over  the  taffrail,  — 
tumbling  in  at  the  waist  as  they  rushed  past,  and  flooding 
the  main  deck. 

I  regretted,  then,  that  she  had  not  remained  hove  to, 
for  heaving  to  now  was  a  serious  matter! 

By  four  bells,  feeling  that  she  must  be  brought  to  the 
wind  or  founder,  I  beckoned  Mr.  Broughton  into  the 
cabin  companionway,  where  one  could  not  be  heard 
outside,  and  gave  him  his  instructions. 

I  managed  to  get  on  the  housetop  holding  on  to  the 
weather  mizzen  rigging. 

Clewing  up  the  weather  side  of  the  fore  topsail,  hauling 
spilling-lines  well  taut,  leaving  the  lee  clew  still  sheeted 
home,  and  bracing  the  head  yards  forward,  the  crew,  with 
Mr.  Broughton  and  the  second  and  third  officers,  laid 
aft  to  the  main  braces. 

Signing  to  the  man  at  the  wheel  to  ease  down  when 
there  seemed  a  better  chance  of  coming  to  without  taking 
a  sea  aboard,  giving  at  the  same  time  a  signal  to  ease  off, 
and  round  in  the  main  braces,  slowly  she  swung  into  the 
wind,  and  had  just  brought  the  sea  fairly  abeam,  when 
she  gave  two  or  three  tremendous  rolls  that  put  her  yard 
arms  deep  in  the  water. 

Fortunately  the  coal  that  was  between  decks  could 
not  shift,  having  been  looked  after  very  carefully  in 
New  York,  and  stanchioned  down  with  a  view  to  just 
such  an  emergency,  but  it  shifted  at  the  ends,  in  the  hold, 
giving  her  about  four  or  five  streaks  list,  which  waa 
carried  the  remainder  of  the  passage. 


216  OCEAN    LIFE 

Recovering,  she  came  up  to  the  sea,  making  fairly  good 
weather,  although  falling  off  occasionally,  but  shipped 
no  water  to  speak  of,  until  about  two  bells  in  the  first 
dog-watch,  when  a  big  wave  broke  on  board,  staving 
in  the  bulwarks  aft,  smashing  the  skylights,  flooding  the 
cabin,  also  staving  the  boats,  and  creating  havoc  generally; 
but  the  wind  suddenly  jumping  into  southwest,  enabled 
the  ship  to  come  up,  head  to  sea,  when  she  lay  more 
comfortably.  With  the  change  of  wind,  the  gale  began 
to  abate,  and  by  six  bells  (eleven  p.  M.)  the  "  Danube  " 
was  again  put  upon  her  course.  In  due  time  we  passed 
the  islets  of  St.  Paul  and  Amsterdam,  when  bearing  away 
north,  we  took  the  trades,  and  shortly  after  sighted  Java 
Head  and  entered  Sunda  Straits. 

It  was  now  the  last  of  the  southwest  monsoon,  and 
being  anxious  to  get  through  the  China  seas  before  the 
northeast  set  in,  we  made  no  stop  at  Anger  Point,  but 
obtained  our  supplies  of  fruit,  vegetables  and  live  stock 
from  the  Malay  trading-boats  that  boarded  us  before 
arriving  off  the  point. 

Leaving  Anger,  we  crossed  the  Java  Sea  with  a  rattling 
breeze,  entering  Caspar  Strait,  and  were  so  fortunate  as 
to  get  through  before  night,  when  the  wind  falling  light, 
with  a  strong  current,  we  brought  the  ship  to  anchor  to 
await  daylight.  A  sharp  lookout  with  guns  loaded  and 
everything  in  readiness  was  kept  during  the  night  for 
pirate  proas,  should  they  make  an  attempt  to  board  us. 
The  "  Danube  "  had  a  good  armament,  consisting  of 
four  large  deck-guns,  in  the  use  of  which  the  crew  were  well 
drilled;  two  of  them  being  twelve-pounders,  rifled,  the 
other  two  smooth  bores,  a  dozen  and  a  half  muskets, 
the  same  number  of  boarding-pikes,  and  pistols  (large 
size),  sabres,  cutlasses,  and  a  magazine  with  plenty  of 
ammunition.  This  was  necessary  for  a  ship  trading  or 


LIVELY    CHASE    BY    A    PRIVATEER    217 

freighting  in  these  waters  at  this  time,  as  the  Chinese 
pirates  were  very  numerous,  the  Chusan  Archipelago 
being  infested  with  them,  as  well  as  the  southern  coast. 
Pirating,  among  the  Chinese,  was  a  regularly  organized 
business;  their  agents  on  shore  kept  them  appraised  of 
what  would  be  profitable  captures:  junks  with  valuable 
cargoes  or  specie  on  board.  While  confining  their  depreda- 
tions mostly  to  junks  and  smaller  vessels,  they  were  a 
formidable  foe  to  European  craft  if  they  could  catch  them 
unawares.  Theirs  were  fast-sailing  junks,  often  with 
ten  or  twelve  large  guns, — stowed  in  the  hold  if  they 
ran  into  port,  —  carrying  a  crew  of  from  ninety  to  a 
hundred  men.  They  were  as  cruel  and  bloodthirsty 
a  set  of  scoundrels  "  as  ever  scuttled  ship  or  cut 
a  throat,"  showing  no  mercy  when  one  was  in  their 
power,  unless  there  was  the  chance  of  a  big  ransom 
being  paid. 

When  at  sea,  their  usual  mode  of  procedure,  on  falling 
in  with  a  vessel  that  they  deemed  safe  to  attack,  was  to 
get  to  wind'ard,  keeping  along  in  company,  and  gradually 
edging  down  upon  her,  but  so  slow  and  gradual  as  not 
to  excite  suspicion  until  very  near.  At  the  masthead  of 
these  piratical  junks,  if  one  looked  closely,  would  be  seen 
a  package  of  glass  or  earthen  jars;  these  contained  the 
most  villainous  smelling  compound,  that  only  a  China- 
man could  stand,  and  not  even  he  for  long.  Having 
approached  near  enough,  one  of  their  men  would  be  seen 
shinning  up  the  rigging,  and  when  aloft  the  wheel  would 
be  put  up  and  the  junk  run  alongside,  and  the  jars,  or 
bottles,  would  be  dashed  down  on  the  victim's  decks. 
The  fearful  stench  having  driven  all  below  deck,  the  pirates 
would  spring  from  their  concealment,  and  swarm  on  board, 
cutlass  in  hand,  cutting  down  all  who  opposed  them,  and 
in  a  few  moments  the  vessel  would  be  in  their  possession, 


218  OCEAN    LIFE 

when  the  work  of  plundering  and  murdering  went  rapidly 
on. 

These  pirates  have  their  regular  haunts,  villages  and 
communities  subject  to  their  laws,  governed  by  a  chief, 
or  head,  who  rules  with  a  rod  of  iron;  these  being  their 
places  of  rendezvous,  from  which  they  sally  forth  when 
advised  by  their  agents,  or  for  a  piratical  cruise.  It  was 
always  considered  a  safe  thing,  when  a  junk  was  seen 
edging  down  upon  one  of  our  vessels,  to  get  a  gun  or 
rifle  ready,  and  when  the  Chinaman  started  to  go  aloft, 
to  drop  him  before  he  got  there.  This  accomplished,  in 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  they  would  haul  off, 
and  nothing  further  would  be  heard  from  them. 

Meeting  the  northeast  monsoon,  the  "  Danube " 
passed  outside  of  Formosa  Island,  now  having  a  dead 
beat  north  of  the  Chusan  Archipelago,  to  the  Yangtse 
River,  one  of  the  great  highways  of  the  Celestial  Empire. 

A  pilot  was  taken  outside  and  we  ascended  the  Yangtse 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Woosung  River,  on  which  stands  the 
city  of  Shanghai,  the  chief  seaport  of  China,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  upwards  of  half  a  million,  opened  to  foreign  trade 
in  1842.  It  is  one  of  the  walled  cities  of  China,  and  con- 
tains flourishing  manufactories  of  silk,  glass,  and  paper. 
Outside  the  city  walls,  on  the  banks  of  the  Woosung,  are 
the  foreign  concessions:  French,  German,  English  and 
American.  They  are  all  separate  from  each  other,  and 
contain  the  business  houses,  the  various  consulates, 
hotels,  and  residences  of  each  particular  country,  also 
the  centre  of  trade  and  commerce  of  the  Chinese,  who 
transact  a  large  amount  of  business  daily,  while  the 
streets  are  filled  with  bustling,  hurrying  throngs  com- 
prised of  Chinese  and  representatives  of  almost  every 
nation. 

We  sailed  up  the  river  with  a  strong  flood-tide,  and 


LIVELY    CHASE    BY    A    PRIVATEER    219 

the  "  Danube  "  rounded  to  off  the  American  quarter  of 
the  city,  letting  go  her  anchor  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  days  from  New  York.  Shortly  after  anchoring,  the 
tide,  running  very  strong,  caused  the  anchor  chain  to 
stretch  out  a  long  way  ahead  as  taut  as  a  harp-string. 
A  large  cargo-boat,  laden,  and  under  sail,  attempted  to 
cross  our  bow,  but  the  tide  proving  too  strong,  she  took 
the  chain  amidships.  In  an  instant  she  capsized,  her 
cargo  of  bales  and  boxes  floating  off,  with  her  crew,  up 
the  stream!  The  river  was  full  of  boats  and  sampans 
belonging  to  the  shipping,  and  the  boatmen  made  a 
grand  rush  for  the  bales  and  boxes  (loot),  but  not  an 
effort  from  one  to  rescue  the  drowning  men  in  the  river. 
Our  crew  saved  the  big  steering  oar  of  the  cargo-boat, 
and  rescued  one  poor  fellow  who  clung  to  our  chain,  getting 
him  on  deck,  where  he  stood  shivering,  the  picture  of 
woe,  and  I  ordered  "  Sam,"  the  sampan  boatman,  who 
had  been  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  race  for  loot,  to  take 
my  involuntary  passenger  ashore  with  his  steering  oar. 

This  "  Sam "  did  unwillingly,  and  on  returning  I 
noticed  he  still  had  the  big  steering  oar,  which  he  was 
getting  on  board. 

"  What  are  you  doing  with  that  oar,  Sam?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  that  allee  light,  Cappee.  Oar  payee  him  passage 
ashore." 

Thinking  it  a  good  opportunity  to  read  "  Sam  "  a 
moral  lesson  I  said: 

"  You  scamp,  why  did  you  not  save  those  drowning 
brothers  of  yours,  instead  of  stealing  all  you  could  lay 
your  hands  on?  " 

"  Oh'ee,  Cappee,  can  catchee  one  piecee  box,  long  me, 
no  time  catchee  China-man,  no  hab  time,  one,  two, 
China-man  drowned,  no  matter,  more  lice  (rice)  foi 
China-man  live." 


220  OCEAN    LIFE 

My  moral  lesson  was  lost  on  "  Sam  "  and  I  said  no 
more. 

A  great  river  trade  is  carried  on  by  steamers,  mostly 
owned  by  American  and  English  houses,  trading  between 
Shanghai  and  Han-keou,  which  had  only  been  open  to 
foreigners  but  a  short  time.  Hauling  in  to  the  com- 
pany's wharf  to  discharge  our  coal  instead  of  into  lighters, 
we  were  brought  into  contact  with  the  land,  and  sub^ 
jected  to  the  poisonous  miasma  of  the  river's  banks. 

Until  now  my  wife  had  most  thoroughly  enjoyed  the 
sea  life,  her  health  was  excellent,  and  she  looked  forward 
to  the  continuation  of  the  voyage  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  but  it  was  not  to  be. 

Cholera,  that  dread  scourge  of  the  East,  was  raging  at 
Shanghai,  sweeping  off  hundreds  daily,  and  in  less  than 
a  week  after  arrival  she  was  stricken  down. 

Everything  was  done,  but,  although  she  got  over  the 
disease,  she  had  not  strength  to  rally,  and  the  sixth  day 
she  breathed  her  last,  called  home. 

>  Her  remains,  after  being  embalmed,  were  sent  home 
on  the  ship  "  Gamecock,"  Captain  Clement  Jayne,  and 
interred  at  Marblehead. 

After  my  wife's  death  I  passed  a  large  part  of  my  time 
with  my  old  friend  and  captain  Edward  Meacom,  — 
formerly  of  the  ship  "  Brutus,"  —  on  board  his  ship  the 
"  Mermaid,"  while  the  coal  having  been  discharged,  a 
cargo  of  cotton  was  laden  for  Hongkong. 

While  at  Shanghai  I  saw  the  "  Ariel,"  the  first  ship  I 
sailed  in,  serving  as  a  hulk  for  storing  opium,  and  except 
for  the  lack  of  her  spars,  she  looked  the  same,  bringing 
back  memories  of  bygone  days. 

With  a  river  pilot,  the  "  Danube  "  took  her  departure 
from  Shanghai,  towing  to  Woosung. 


CHAPTER   XXI 
1862  -  1863 

FLYING    THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS.  —  IN    SIGHT    DAILY 
OF  "  MOUNTAIN  WAVE  "   FROM  MANILA  TO  MADAGASCAR. 

FAREWELL    TO     OLD     CAPE     HORN.  —  SAN    FRANCISCO 

AFTER   FOURTEEN   YEARS 

To  the  northern  end  of  Formosa  the  monsoon  was 
light,  but  after  dying  away  nearly  calm,  came  out  from 
N.  N.  E.  in  a  furious  squall,  settling  into  a  fresh  gale, 
and  sending  the  "  Danube  "  through  the  Formosa  Straits 
flying,  under  her  two  lower  topsails.  The  night  was  dark 
as  Erebus,  and  although  a  sharp  lookout  for  Chinese 
fishing-boats  was  kept,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to 
have  seen  them,  and  in  the  event  of  meeting  any,  it 
would  have  been  a  case  of  "  hardest  fend  off."  The 
following  morning  being  thick  with  fog,  no  land  could  be 
seen,  but  on  its  clearing  at  noon  our  course  was  shaped 
for  the  Lye-ee  Moon  Channel,  the  eastern  entrance  to 
the  port  of  Hongkong. 

Coming  to  anchor  off  the  town  of  Victoria,  the  ship 
was  at  once  surrounded  by  sampans  containing  artisans 
and  washerwomen,  all  anxious  to  secure  the  ship's  trade. 

I  was  ordered  by  the  consignee  to  discharge  at  once. 

Hongkong,  an  island  near  the  Canton  River,  was  ceded 
to  Great  Britain  in  1841,  and  with  Kowluen  on  the  oppo- 
site mainland,  ceded  in  1861,  forms  the  British  Crown 

221 


222  OCEAN   LIFE 

Colony.  Its  area  is  twenty-nine  square  miles,  and  it  is 
the  centre  of  an  extensive  trade,  largely  through  Hong- 
kong, in  Chinese  silk  and  tea.  Of  the  population  of 
about  222,000,  nine  thousand  of  whom  are  white,  about 
137,000  are  in  Victoria,  the  capital. 

A  large  number  of  craft  of  almost  all  nationalities 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  included  many  junks, 
steamers,  and  men-of-war,  and  the  bands  of  the  latter, 
playing  each  afternoon  about  sunset,  made  the  harbor 
very  lively.  From  the  top  of  the  hill  overlooking  the 
town  and  harbor,  the  view  is  fine.  The  ships  at  that 
distance  looked  like  toy  boats. 

The  "  Romance  of  the  Seas/'  one  of  the  famous  clip- 
pers of  the  '50's,  that  lay  loaded  ready  for  sea,  appeared, 
as  one  looked  down  on  her  from  that  height,  like  a  beauti- 
ful yacht.  This  was  her  last  trip.  She  was  lost  at  sea 
with  all  hands. 

While  seated  in  the  house  of  Messrs.  Russell  &  Sturgis, 
our  consignees,  one  forenoon,  reading  the  latest  home 
news,  every  one  was  suddenly  startled  by  the  entrance  of 
a  clerk,  who  announced  that  the  P.  &  O.  (Peninsular  and 
Oriental)  Company's  steamer  that  had  sailed  early  that 
morning  was  returning  through  the  Lema  Channel,  with 
her  signal  set,  "  I  am  on  fire!  " 

As  she  had  chests  of  opium  in  her  forehold,  valued  at 
$3,000,000,  the  excitement  was  intense,  all  leaving  for 
the  water  front  to  see  her  enter  the  harbor,  where  she  was 
beached  on  the  Kowluen  shore.  She  was  scuttled  by 
the  men-of-war  boats  firing  pointblank  shots  at  her 
between  wind  and  water,  the  fire  being  gradually  extin- 
guished, and  although  the  damage  was  considerable, 
the  opium  was  untouched. 

Our  cotton  out  and  ship  ballasted,  the  "  Danube " 
sailed  from  Hongkong,  seeking  a  freight,  and  my  intention 


THROUGH   FORMOSA    STRAITS        223 

when  leaving  was  to  run  around  to  Calcutta,  touching  at 
Singapore,  in  hopes  of  getting  a  good  freight  to  the 
United  States,  or  some  port  in  Europe,  but  fairly  out- 
side, the  "  Danube's  "  course  was  shaped  for  Manila  to 
try  the  market. 

The  fifth  day  out  we  passed  the  island  of  Corregidor 
at  the  entrance,  and  sailing  up  Manila  Bay,  dropped 
anchor  off  the  city  of  Manila,  the  capital  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  since  made  famous  by  the  war  with  Spain. 

The  old  city  of  Manila,  situated  on  the  western  coast 
of  the  island  of  Luzon,  where  the  Pasig  River  joins 
Manila  Bay,  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from 
Hongkong,  was  founded  by  Spaniards  in  1571,  and  was 
comparatively  small.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  wall,  and 
contained  an  old  cathedral  of  the  17th  century  and 
other  churches,  the  archbishop's  palace,  monasteries, 
convents,  the  governor's  palace,  and  numerous  govern- 
ment buildings.  Binondo,  the  great  commercial  center, 
lies  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Pasig;  the  retail  trade  was 
then  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  but  the  import  and 
export  trade  was  controlled  by  foreigners.  In  the  native 
part,  the  houses  of  the  Malays  were  mostly  thatched 
huts,  and  a  fire  breaking  out  one  night  swept  off  some 
1,500  in  two  or  three  hours,  running  from  one  house  to 
another,  which  burned  like  tinder. 

The  ship  was  consigned  to  the  house  of  Russell  &  Stur- 
gis,  of  which  Mr.  Green  (later  the  husband  of  Mrs.  Hetty 
Green)  was  managing  head,  and  I  was  offered  a  freight 
for  Boston  that  footed  up  rising  $22,000  in  gold.  There 
were  no  unchartered  vessels  in  port,  but  knowing  several 
were  due,  I  accepted  the  offer,  and  the  "  Danube  "  was 
speedily  made  ready  for  loading. 

Manila  at  this  season  (winter  months)  was  charming. 
Residents  and  visitors  alike  appreciated  the  afternoon 


224  OCEAN    LIFE 

drives  to  Lunetta  Park  to  listen  to  the  exquisite  music 
of  the  band  and  enjoy  the  cool  breezes.  The  hotels  were 
very  poor,  and  it  was  more  comfortable  on  shipboard, 
but  I  went  on  shore  daily,  returning  at  night. 

The  American  merchant  ships  in  port,  besides  the 
"  Danube,"  were  the  "  Mountain  Wave,"  the  "  Galatea  " 
and  the  "  Cyclone;  "  also  the  "  Wabash  "  an  American 
war-ship.  We  now  being  homeward  bound,  and  having 
far  more  provisions  than  could  be  used  on  the  passage, 
I  sold  the  surplus  at  good  prices,  and  later  made  a  few 
investments  that  paid  well. 

Cigars,  at  this  time,  were  very  cheap  in  Manila;  the 
No.  1's  were  a  very  fine  quality,  costing  but  twelve  dollars 
per  thousand,  packed  and  put  on  board,  while  a  smaller 
cigar,  No.  2's,  only  cost  eight  dollars.  Thinking  these 
figures  could  not  again  be  duplicated,  and  being  at  that 
time  an  ardent  lover  of  the  weed,  I  purchased  some 
thirty  thousand,  twenty  thousand  of  them  being  No.  2's, 
the  remainder  No.  1's,  and  afterwards  disposed  of  the  same 
in  Boston  at  seventy  and  thirty  dollars  per  thousand, 
besides  keeping  five  thousand  for  my  own  use. 

I  purchased  some  ten  or  twelve  "  pieces  "  of  pina 
cloth,  containing  eighteen  yards  to  the  "  piece,"  made 
from  the  fibre  of  the  pineapple.  This  product  of  the  fertile 
Philippines  is  cultivated  principally  for  this  fibre,  which 
is  woven  into  a  most  beautiful  fabric  for  ladies'  wear, 
extensively  manufactured  in  Manila.  It  is  of  various 
colors,  fine  and  delicate,  but  durable,  just  the  material 
for  the  heated  summer  months.  Eighteen  yards  was 
considered  the  proper  quantity  for  a  dress  pattern. 

In  addition  to  these  goods,  I  had,  just  before  sailing 
from  Shanghai,  taken  off  the  hands  of  one  of  the  clerks 
of  Russell  &  Sturgis,  a  complete  invoice  of  Japanese 
curios,  bric-a-brac,  with  two  nests  of  fine  camphor  trunks. 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS        225 

He  had  purchased  them  to  take  home  with  him,  but  his 
plans  being  changed  to  remain  in  Shanghai  for  an  indefinite 
period,  he  offered  me  the  entire  lot  at  what  he  paid  for 
them,  a  very  low  figure. 

Previous  to  our  sailing  from  New  York,  my  aunt,  wife 
of  the  owner  at  that  time,  Mr.  Thomas  Appleton  of 
Marblehead,  had  asked  me,  if  I  saw  anything  pretty  for 
house  ornamentation,  to  get  it  for  her,  and  this  I  con- 
sidered a  rare  opportunity.  Having  no  use  for  any  of 
them  now,  myself,  I  gave  her  the  lot  on  my  arrival  home, 
and  they  were  highly  appreciated.  The  pina  cloth  made 
up  into  nice  summer  dresses  for  the  three  girls,  members 
of  a  most  charming  family  with  whom  I  passed  many 
pleasant  days  when  home  from  my  voyages. 

We  sailed  from  Manila  in  company  with  the  ship 
"  Mountain  Wave "  and  passed  down  the  China  Sea 
together,  being  in  sight  of  each  other  daily  all  through 
the  Indian  Ocean  until  we  were  up  with  the  south  end  of 
Madagascar.  The  wind  then  coming  out  ahead,  we  parted 
company,  each  going  off  on  separate  tacks,  and  we  did 
not  again  fall  in  with  each  other.  It  was  the  most  equal 
sailing  I  ever  knew,  on  the  part  of  two  ships,  for  such  a 
length  of  time  and  for  so  long  a  distance.  The  "  Mountain 
Wave,"  however,  arrived  a  week  ahead  of  the  "  Danube." 

Around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  past  St.  Helena, 
Ascension  Island,  Fernando  Norohna,  and  across  the 
line  (equator)  the  "  Danube  "  steadily  held  her  course, 
each  night  seeing  us  "  a  day's  march  (or  sail)  nearer 
home."  Nothing  of  note  outside  the  regular  daily  ship's 
work  occurring  from  the  time  of  leaving  the  Cape  till  we 
reached  the  equator,  —  not  a  sail  had  been  sighted,  — < 
we  almost  began  to  feel  as  though  we  were  alone  on  the 
waste  of  waters,  but  now,  again  in  the  north  Atlantic, 
a  sharp  lookout  was  kept  for  steamers  and  sailing  craft 


226  OCEAN    LITE 

of  suspicious  appearance.  All  knew  Semmes  in  the 
"  Alabama  "  was  abroad  in  these  waters,  seeking  whom 
he  could  gather  in,  and  the  feeling  that  any  day  or 
hour  we  might  run  across  him  caused  an  uneasiness  that 
was  felt  throughout  the  ship,  but  our  fears  were  ground- 


Sighting  few  vessels  and  speaking  none,  the  "  Danube  " 
passed  Bermuda  and  the  Gulf  Stream,  on  the  northern 
edge  of  which  we  experienced  light  southerly  airs  and 
foggy  weather.  Soundings  indicated  that  we  were  to 
the  southward  and  westward  of  Nantucket,  and  feeling 
our  way,  with  the  lead,  around  the  great  shoal,  the  fog 
being  very  dense,  we  finally  struck  channel  soundings, 
when  fanning  along,  with  light  southerly  breezes,  the 
"  Danube  "  crept  past  Chatham  on  the  elbow  of  Cape 
Cod,  the  Nauset  three  lights,  the  high  sand-banks  of  the 
cape  highlands,  seeing  nothing,  but  keeping  the  fog-horn 
sounding  as  a  warning  to  other  vessels,  until  we  were 
north  of  the  Highland  Light  with  the  bay  open,  when, 
the  fog  lifting,  the  most  welcome  sight  of  the  lighthouse 
and  sand-dunes  of  old  Cape  Cod  came  into  view.  Taking 
a  pilot  on  board  when  half-way  up  the  bay,  we  obtained 
all  the  news  of  the  war,  with  the  information  that  Mr. 
Horace  Broughton,  my  first  officer,  had  been  drafted,  and 
was  liable  to  serve  his  country  either  in  the  army  or  navy, 
unless  he  paid  $300  for  a  substitute.  A  tugboat  which  we 
took  outside  the  light  towed  the  ship  up  the  harbor, 
docking  at  East  Boston,  one  hundred  and  thirty  days 
from  Manila. 

Our  freight  of  $22,000,  payable  in  gold,  when  gold  was 
at  a  premium  of  two  hundred  and  forty,  caused  the 
owners  to  smile  and  congratulate  themselves. 

The  owners  at  that  time  were  James  Nesmith  and 
Sons  of  New  York,  to  whom,  I  had  been  informed  by  a 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS        227 

letter  from  my  uncle  Mr.  Appleton  on  my  arrival  at 
Shanghai,  he  had  made  over  the  ship.  In  future  I  was  to 
take  my  instructions  from  them. 

Discharging  was  at  once  commenced,  and  a  week 
later  saw  the  "  Danube  "  in  the  market  for  a  freight. 

I  was  stopping  at  Marblehead,  visiting  the  ship  at 
Boston  daily,  and  the  time  passed  pleasantly.  The  war 
was  the  all-engrossing  topic  of  the  day,  enlisting  was 
constantly  going  on,  and  troops  were  leaving  for  the  front 
almost  daily.  There  was  martial  music  in  the  air  at 
almost  every  turn,  while  returning  sick  and  disabled 
soldiers,  worn  down  by  the  hardships  and  privations  of 
the  battlefields,  were  sad  sights  to  witness,  but  there  was 
no  shrinking,  no  holding  back  among  the  loyal  sons  of 
the  North.  All  did  their  duty,  and  a  united  country 
to-day  is  the  result  of  their  efforts. 

During  our  six  weeks'  stay  in  port,  Mr.  Broughton, 
my  first  officer,  concluded  to  put  a  substitute  in  the  army, 
and  embarked  upon  the  matrimonial  sea,  taking  for  his 
wife  a  most  estimable  young  lady  of  Marblehead. 

Chartering  the  ship  to  load  in  Winsor's  Line  for  San 
Francisco  with  general  cargo,  the  "  Danube  "  was  laid 
on  the  berth  for  loading,  and  in  thirty  days  was  again 
ready  for  sea.  With  the  crew  on  board  the  ship  we  hauled 
into  the  stream,  and  coming  to  an  anchor,  we  took  on 
board  some  five  hundred  kegs  of  gunpowder,  which  were 
stowed  in  the  main  hatch,  after  which  the  ship  was  ready 
for  sea,  and  anchor  weighed,  we  proceeded  down  the 
harbor.  Dropping  the  pilot  outside  of  Boston  Light,  we 
gave  a  farewell  wave  of  the  hand  to  the  pilot-boat,  and 
the  "  Danube,"  with  all  her  canvas  spread  to  a  brisk 
westerly  breeze,  rounded  the  Highland  Light,  and  passing 
out  South  Channel,  again  entered  upon  her  15,000  mile 
run. 


228  OCEAN    LIFE 

I  soon  found  the  "  Danube  "  was  very  logy  and  dull  at 
sailing.  She  had  taken  in  large  quantities  of  iron  that 
brought  her  very  low  in  the  water,  and  she  seemed  to 
have  lost  the  springy  feeling  she  had  on  her  homeward 
voyage  from  Manila,  but  there  was  now  no  help  for  it, 
and  it  soon  became  apparent  that  the  passage  to  San 
Francisco  would  be  a  long  one,  and  two  stiff  southeasters 
before  reaching  the  trade  wind  belt  did  not  help  matters. 
The  trade  winds  were  very  light,  and  losing  them  entirely 
in  the  latitude  of  8°  north,  we  experienced  nothing  but 
light  airs,  squalls  and  calms,  to  the  latitude  of  2°  north, 
where  we  took  the  S.  E.  trades,  which  were  fairly  strong, 
while  gales  with  thunder  and  lightning  were  encountered 
off  the  River  Plate  (Rio  de  la  Plata),  and  running  down 
the  Patagonian  coast  the  ship  was  put  in  complete  order 
to.  meet  heavy  weather  off  Cape  Horn.  Passing  between 
the  Falklands  and  the  coast,  we  sighted  the  east  end  of 
Staten  Land,  but  before  we  had  rounded  it  and  the 
"  Danube  "  was  pointed  for  Cape  Horn,  a  howling  gale 
from  the  W.  S.  W.  struck  us,  accompanied  with  snow 
and  sleet,  and  heaving  to  under  a  lower  main  topsail 
and  foretopmast  staysail,  the  ship  buffeted  the  big  Cape 
Horn  seas  for  a  week,  when  a  favorable  slant  of  wind 
enabled  the  ship  to  recover  her  lost  ground;  but  it  was 
short-lived,  — gale  succeeded  gale,  in  rapid  succession, 
and  it  was  thirty  days  from  the  time  of  passing  Staten 
Land  ere  we  had  gained  enough  westing  to  bear  away 
north,  but  the  change  came  at  last.  After  blowing  heavily 
from  N.  W.  for  several  days,  it  veered  into  south-south- 
west. 

Keeping  her  off  to  the  north'ard  and  west'ard,  under 
two  lower  topsails  and  reefed  foresail,  until  the  sea  went 
down  a  little,  the  "  Danube  "  made  good  progress  towards 
better  weather,  while  the  wind  holding  steady  from 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS        229 

the  southward,  each  day  showed  a  marked  change.  It 
had  been  a  long,  hard  experience  off  the  stormy  Cape, 
but  we  could  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  ship  sustaining 
no  damage  under  all  the  heavy  buffeting  she  had  under- 
gone in  the  past  month. 

Gradually  our  feathered  companions,  the  albatross,  the 
Cape  pigeon,  and  "  Mother  Carey's  chickens,"  that  had 
kept  us  company  around  the  Cape,  having  seen  us  safely 
through  the  most  trying  part  of  our  passage,  dropped 
off,  as  though  feeling  their  escort  was  no  longer  needed 
and  they  could  now  bid  us  good-by. 

The  change  to  smooth  seas  and  bright  pleasant  weather 
was  rapid,  and  sail  was  gradually  increased  until  the 
"  Danube "  was  again  covered  with  canvas  and  fast 
leaving  Cape  Horn  in  the  background. 

After  being  knocked  about  for  four  or  five  weeks  in 
the  high  latitudes  of  the  Cape,  one  is  in  the  mood  to  enjoy 
and  appreciate  the  delightful  sailing  through  the  trade 
winds  of  the  south  Pacific. 

Crossing  the  equator,  and  taking  the  trades  in  the 
north  Pacific,  the  "  Danube  "  arrived  off  the  heads  of 
San  Francisco,  where  taking  a  pilot  on  board,  again  I 
entered  the  bay,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  fourteen  years. 

What  changes  had  occurred  in  that  time!  How  vividly 
were  the  scenes  and  incidents  recalled  that  passed  in 
review  before  my  mind's  eye  in  connection  with  the 
fourteen  years  since  I  sailed  out  by  these  heads,  as  one 
of  the  crew  of  the  barque  "  Zingari  "  bound  for  Val- 
paraiso! What  changes,  since  the  early  days,  before 
California  was  admitted  into  the  glorious  sisterhood  of 
States,  when  Oregon  was  a  wilderness,  and  Portland, 
the  capital,  a  city  only  in  name!  Now,  under  the  march 
of  progress,  the  country  was  well  settled,  with  thriving 
towns,  villages,  and  smiling  farms.  Portland,  still  the 


230  OCEAN    LIFE 

chief  city,  regularly  laid  out,  had  a  large,  bustling  popula- 
tion, and  a  big  steamship  trade  with  San  Francisco, 
and  elsewhere. 

San  Francisco!  The  ship  hauled  in  at  the  wharf  at 
Clark's  Point  for  discharging,  but  I  should  never  have 
recognized  it  as  the  spot  I  landed  at  fourteen  years 
before.  Now  there  were  wharves,  with  ships  discharging 
their  cargoes,  a  fine  street  leading  over  the  hill  lined 
with  dwellings  and  stores,  —  no  trace  left  of  the  shanty 
or  "  hotel  "  with  "  Delmonico's  "  over  the  entrance,  or 
Mr.  Benjamin  Dixey's  restaurant.  Fine  hotels  and  resi- 
dences, big  storehouses,  and  piers  for  shipping,  streets 
and  avenues  handsomely  laid  out  and  thronged  with  busy 
multitudes,  all  told  of  the  advancement  made,  and  the 
growth  of  the  "  City  of  the  Golden  Gate,"  since  the 
early  days  of  '50. 

On  our  way  up  the  bay,  the  stevedore's  boat  pulled 
alongside,  bringing  the  mail,  and  among  the  letters  was 
one  from  the  New  York  owners,  containing  a  charter  to 
proceed  from  San  Francisco  to  Baker's  Island  and  load 
guano  for  the  North  Sea,  taking  orders  at  Falmouth, 
England. 

Consigning  to  the  house  of  Charles  W.  Brooks  &  Co., 
Mr.  Frank  Ladd  being  the  junior  partner,  we  commenced 
the  discharge  of  the  cargo,  which  came  out  in  good  order, 
having  sustained  no  damage. 

I  have,  in  a  previous  chapter,  spoken  of  the  large 
variety  of  cockroaches  on  board  the  ship  "  Brutus," 
Calcutta  trader.  Across  the  docks,  opposite  the  "  Danube," 
lay  the  ship  "  Guiding  Star,"  Captain  Small,  just  out 
from  Boston,  where  she  had  discharged  a  Calcutta  cargo. 
This  ship  was  literally  alive  with  roaches,  but  at  the  time 
I  did  not  know  it. 

In  the  evening  I  went  on  board  to  make  Captain  Small 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS        231 

a  social  call,  and  when,  after  passing  a  very  pleasant  hour, 
he  invited  me  to  spend  the  night  with  him,  I  accepted, 
and  he  gave  me  his  stateroom,  taking  a  spare  room  for 
himself. 

Retiring  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  pulling  off  my 
boots,  I  disrobed  and  turned  in,  sleeping  soundly  until 
morning,  when  I  arose,  and  proceeding  to  dress,  found 
nothing  left  of  my  boots  but  the  soles  and  straps.  All 
outside  of  these  resembled  a  piece  of  brown  tissue  paper 
perforated  with  tiny  holes.  On  asking  Captain  Small 
about  it,  he  explained  that  he  meant  to  have  told  me  to 
put  everything,  including  my  boots,  in  the  basket  at  the 
head  of  the  bed,  but  he  forgot  it!  The  cockroaches  had 
eaten  them  in  the  night,  and  the  captain's  forgetfulness 
cost  me  a  new  pair  of  boots.  However,  he  was  good 
enough  to  loan  me  a  pair  to  put  on. 

The  "  Guiding  Star's  "  cargo  consisted  largely  of  cases 
of  boots  and  shoes,  also  carriages.  The  damage  to  these 
goods  was,  I  understood,  upwards  of  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  As  the  cases  were  hoisted  out  of  her  hold  and  on 
to  the  dock,  crowds  of  people  gathered  to  look  at  the 
destruction,  while  the  press  teemed  with  the  most  extrava- 
gant nonsense  regarding  the  pest,  one  paper  stating  that 
on  taking  out  the  large  guns  destined  for  Mare  Island 
Navy  Yard,  it  was  found  that  the  cockroaches  had 
increased  the  bores  from  a  half  to  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  in  diameter.  The  damage  was  bad  enough,  and  how 
it  was  settled  I  never  knew. 

Earthquakes  were  of  frequent  occurrence  during  our 
stay,  some  severe  shocks  being  experienced,  but  no 
great  amount  of  damage  was  done  outside  of  giving  the 
residents  a  scare. 

Previous  to  my  arrival  home  from  Manila,  I  had  been 
very  much  troubled  with  rheumatism,  which  had  increased 


232  OCEAN    LIFE 

on  the  passage  out,  until  now  it  became  difficult  to  exer- 
cise my  limbs  or  get  my  boots  on  in  the  morning.  I 
consulted  a  specialist  on  rheumatism,  and  he  was  of  the 
opinion  that  he  could  cure  me,  but  it  would  take  two  and 
perhaps  three  months.  Meanwhile  I  would  have  to  go 
under  special  treatment,  which,  while  not  confining  me 
to  the  house,  would  interfere  with  my  going  to  sea.  My 
consignees,  knowing  my  physician  well,  advised  me  to 
stop  and  continue  the  treatment,  assuring  me  he  was 
very  successful  in  cases  like  mine,  so  having  communicated 
with  the  owners  and  obtained  their  sanction,  the  cargo 
being  out  and  ship  ballasted,  I  turned  the  command  of 
the  "  Danube  "  over  to  my  first  officer,  Mr.  Broughton, 
who  had  been  with  me  three  years,  and  accompanying 
the  ship  outside  the  heads,  with  a  hearty  handshake, 
and  wishing  him  a  safe  and  prosperous  voyage,  I  returned 
to  San  Francisco  on  the  towboat.  I  was  sorry  to  leave 
the  ship,  but  I  felt  that  in  my  state  of  health  the  voyage 
would  probably  use  me  up,  and  as  the  treatment  was 
benefiting  me,  I  made  up  my  mind  it  would  be  better  to 
stop  and  go  through  with  it,  a  course  I  have  never  since 
regretted,  for  every  particle  of  the  disease  was  eradicated 
from  my  system,  and  I  have  never  been  troubled  with  it 
to  any  great  extent  since. 

To  be  in  San  Francisco  without  a  command  was  a 
novel  experience  for  me,  but  I  was  not  long  unemployed. 
The  "  Eagle  Wing,"  a  sixteen-hundred-ton  clipper  ship, 
arrived  in  charge  of  the  mate,  Captain  Linnell  having 
been  killed  on  the  passage  out,  off  the  River  Plate  (Rio 
de  la  Plata)  in  a  terrible  manner. 

The  ship,  while  running  free,  was  suddenly  taken  aback 
in  a  heavy  squall,  and  the  boom  tackle  parting,  the  heavy 
spanker-boom  swept  across  the  quarter-deck,  the  sheet 
catching  Captain  Linnell,  and  throwing  him  against  the 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS        233 

wheel,  driving  the  spoke  handles  into  his  body,  death 
resulting  very  shortly  therefrom.  For  some  reason,  my 
consignees,  who  were  friends  of  the  owners  of  the  ship, 
were  not  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the  mate,  then  in 
command,  but  could  do  nothing  without  a  power  of 
attorney  from  the  owners.  This  they  obtained,  and 
sending  for  me,  I  was  placed  in  command  of  the  "  Eagle 
Wing,"  to  attend  to  her  business  until  a  captain  could 
be  sent  out  from  New  York.  I  stated  to  Messrs.  Brooks 
&  Co.  that  while  I  could  attend  to  the  ship's  business  in 
port,  which  would  not  interfere  with  my  medical  treat- 
ment, I  would  not  go  to  sea  in  her,  having  just  left  my  own 
ship,  ^his  was  all  settled,  and  they  were  to  pay  me 
$200  per  month,  gold,  and  my  board  at  the  Russ 
House. 

My  first  act,  after  taking  charge,  was  to  give  the  mate 
and  cook  their  discharge,  for  the  reason  that  they  were 
caught  selling  the  ship's  stores  and  sails,  which  I  traced 
and  was  fortunate  in  recovering  from  the  parties  to 
whom  they  were  sold.  I  retained  the  carpenter,  who 
seemed  an  honest  fellow;  in  fact,  it  was  through  him  I  first 
obtained  my  information  of  the  rascality  of  the  others. 

Employing  a  good,  reliable  ship-keeper,  I  placed  him 
on  board,  after  the  cargo  was  out,  and  taking  in  six 
hundred  tons  of  ballast  to  keep  her  on  her  feet,  I  had  her 
anchored  in  the  stream  to  await  the  arrival  of  Captain 
George  B.  Kellum  from  New  York. 

I  had  now  plenty  of  leisure,  and  one  morning,  I  went 
with  a  party,  —  four  making  up  our  number,  two  city 
merchants,  Captain  Pendelton  and  myself,  —  for  a  drive 
to  some  medical  springs,  a  health  resort  about  twenty- 
five  miles  south  of  the  city.  We  left  at  6  A.  M.,  seated  in 
an  open  carriage,  behind  a  spanking  pair  of  grays.  The 
drive  in  the  open  air,  which  was  as  bracing  and  exhilarat- 


234  OCEAN    LIFE 

ing  as  champagne,  through  a  beautiful  country,  over  good 
roads,  was  one  long  to  be  remembered.  I  had  often 
heard  people  speak  of  the  glorious  climate  of  California, 
but  I  had  never  realized  fully,  until  that  morning,  what 
it  meant. 

Arriving  at  the  Springs  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock, 
breakfast  was  ordered,  and  we  impatiently  awaited  its 
preparation,  in  the  meanwhile  strolling  about  the  grounds, 
which  were  prettily  laid  out,  and  taking  in  long  draughts 
of  the  purest  air. 

When  breakfast  was  announced  we  filed  into  a  cozy 
room  decked  with  flowers,  the  open  windows  allowing 
the  fresh  air  laden  with  the  fragrance  of  the  woods  to 
sweep  through.  The  table,  with  its  snowy  linen  and  silver 
service,  was  spread  with  the  most  tempting  repast  of 
fruit,  fresh  eggs  and  crisp  bacon,  tender  steak  done  to  a 
turn,  and  the  crowning  dish  a  large  platter  of  fresh  moun- 
tain trout,  that,  as  the  Irishman  said,  "  were  but  a  few 
hours  before  walking  around  their  real  estate,  little  think- 
ing of  the  invitation  they  would  receive  to  join  four 
gentlemen  at  breakfast  this  morning!  " 

With  keen  appetites  sharpened  by  the  morning  drive, 
we  did  ample  justice  to  the  bountiful  spread,  and  at  noon, 
leaving  the  Springs,  and  driving  leisurely  back  to  the 
city,  we  arrived  in  time  for  dinner  at  six,  it  being  voted 
by  all  the  most  enjoyable  trip  of  the  season. 

Messrs.  Brooks  and  Ladd,  upon  whom  I  called  daily, 
were  engaged  in  a  large  sugar  trade  with  the  Sandwich 
Islands  (Hawaii).  Mr.  Ladd  had  told  me  he  had  lived 
in  Honolulu,  and  I  asked  him  if  he  ever  "knew  one  Field, 
who  was  a  shipmate  of  mine  and  left  the  ship  at  Honolulu, 
in  '48,  to  go  into  the  house  of  Charles  Brewer  &  Co., 
merchants.  "  What  was  his  first  name?  "  he  asked. 

"  Barnum,"  I  replied,  "  Barnum  W.  Field." 


THROUGH    FORMOSA    STRAITS         235 

"  Why,  yes/'  he  answered,  "  I  was  brought  up  in  his 
counting- room." 

He  then  gave  me  a  sketch  of  the  career,  to  date,  of 
Mr.  Field,  or  "  Barney  "  as  we  designated  him  on  the 
"  Tsar."  He  said  Field  went  to  California  for  Messrs. 
Brewer  &  Co.  in  the  '50's  and  made  a  good  deal  of  money 
for  his  house;  later  he  went  into  business  for  himself  in 
Honolulu,  and  Ladd  had  gone  into  his  counting-room. 
Shortly  after  this  Field  left  the  island,  and  was  then  in 
New  York,  engaged  in  the  western  produce  business  on 
Broadway. 

This  information  I  was  glad  to  get,  as  I  had  a  desire 
to  know  what  had  become  of  him  and  how  he  had  pros- 
pered. 

The  "  Eagle  Wing  "  was  chartered  to  load  for  New 
York,  and  Captain  Kellum  having  arrived,  I  turned  over" 
the  command  to  him.  Over  two  months  had  now  elapsed, 
and  I  was  feeling  so  much  better  I  was  anxious  to  be  off, 
and  two  weeks  later  I  was  told  by  my  doctor,  giving  me 
advice  as  to  diet,  etc.,  that  it  was  safe  for  me  to  leave. 


CHAPTER   XXII 
1863  -  1864 

THE  PILOT  SERVICE  IN  '63.  —  PACIFIC  MAIL  STEAMSHIPS.  — 
ACAPULCO. ISTHMUS     OF    PANAMA. SUPERCARGO    TO 


AMONG  my  friends  whom  I  bade  good-by  were  a  number 
of  pilots.  I  had  been  of  some  service  to  them  during  my 
stay  in  port.  An  attempt  had  been  made  to  do  away 
with  the  pilot-boats,  and  have  the  pilots  only  on  the  tow- 
boats.  These,  of  course,  always  carrying  a  pilot,  would 
enable  the  captain  to  have  his  ship  towed  to  sea  in  one 
tide,  and  it  not  being  compulsory  to  take  another  pilot 
other  than  the  one  on  the  towboat,  the  regular  pilotage 
outward  would  be  saved. 

This  would  enable  the  ship  to  get  to  sea,  not  only 
quickly,  but  cheaply,  as  the  towing  rates  were  not  high, 
being  kept  down  by  the  pilots,  who  were  independent 
of  the  Towboat  Association.  This,  at  first  glance,  seemed 
a  good  thing  for  the  shipping,  but  it  would  have  operated 
disastrously  for  the  pilot  service,  as  without  the  ships  to 
take  to  sea,  they  would  have  to  give  up  their  boats  and 
go  out  of  business,  throwing  the  whole  pilotage  business 
into  the  hands  of  the  towboat  companies,  who,  I  argued, 
would  naturally  put  up  their  rates,  and  the  shipping 
would  be  at  their  mercy.  In  short,  it  would  establish 
a  complete  monopoly  of  the  pilot  and  towage  systems. 

236 


THE    PILOT    SERVICE    IN    '63         237 

This  I  worked  against  in  favor  of  the  pilot-boat  system, 
taking  the  ground  that  it  was  entering  a  port  a  pilot  was 
most  needed,  and  that  when  a  captain  had  brought  his 
ship  inside  the  Farralones  from  off  a  long  passage,  it 
blowing  hard  perhaps,  and  the  land  shrouded  in  thick 
fog,  with  the  bar  breaking  a  feather  white,  and  a  rock- 
ribbed  coast  close  aboard,  he  felt  a  deal  more  comfortable 
with  a  pilot  on  board,  and  a  pilot-boat  would  lie  off  under 
the  islands,  looking  for  him  in  bad  weather,  —  as  well  as 
bright  sunshine,  —  when  no  towboat  was  going  to  cross 
the  bar  and  hunt  around  in  the  fog  for  his  ship.  He 
could  do  the  best  he  could,  and  look  after  himself  until 
the  weather  cleared,  when,  if  he  were  near  enough,  a 
boat  might  run  out  and  tow  him  to  port.  The  whole 
matter  was  gone  over  and  argued,  pro  and  con,  not  only 
among  the  pilots,  but  by  the  captains  in  port.  In  the 
end  the  pilots  came  out  ahead,  and  appreciating  the  part 
I  had  taken  in  the  controversy,  they  presented  me  with 
a  beautiful  cane  appropriately  inscribed.  It  was  of 
Mexican  wood,  dark,  similar  to  rosewood,  and  a  fine  speci- 
men of  gold  quartz  was  inserted  in  the  head.  This  I 
treasure  as  a  reminder  of  my  last  visit  to  San  Francisco, 
nearly  forty-four  years  ago,  and  the  pleasant  associations 
formed  during  my  stay. 

I  engaged  passage  on  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  "  Con- 
stitution/' for  New  York  via  Panama,  and  we  steamed 
out  of  San  Francisco  Bay  with  a  large  passenger  list,  — 
between  nine  hundred  and  a  thousand.  There  was 
ample  accommodation  on  the  big  "  Constitution,"  but 
with  the  much  smaller  boat  on  the  Atlantic  side,  it  was 
a  problem  where  they  would  all  be  stowed.  But  the 
problem  did  not  seem  to  disturb  any  one.  We  had  a 
pleasant  run  down  the  coast,  touching  a  few  hours  at 
Acapulco,  Mexico,  to  land  mails  and  passengers,  during 


238  OCEAN    LIFE 

which  time  those  of  the  through  passengers  who  wished 
could  go  ashore,  but  it  was  so  much  pleasanter  on  board 
under  the  awnings  than  wandering  around  on  shore  in 
the  hot  sun,  few  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity, 
and  the  whistle  soon  calling  aboard  all  stragglers,  with 
her  prow  pointing  seaward,  the  "  Constitution  "  bade 
good-by  to  Acapulco,  while  the  gong  sounded  for  dinner. 

Commodore  Watkins  and  his  chief  executive,  Captain 
Caverly,  were  two  of  the  most  efficient  officers  in  the 
service,  genial  and  courteous  to  their  passengers.  The 
discipline  of  the  ship  was  perfect,  every  officer  and  every 
man  instantly  at  his  station,  at  fire  signals  or  emergency 
calls.  One  was  made  to  feel  an  unusual  sense  of  security 
on  a  steamship  in  charge  of  such  men,  and,  as  the  result 
of  close  observation,  I  offer  this  slight  tribute  to  their 
worth. 

Arriving  at  Panama,  we  were  transferred  to  the  cars 
of  the  Panama  Railroad  Company,  which  after  a  four 
hours'  ride,  brought  us  to  Aspinwall  (Colon),  where  we 
embarked  on  the  steamer  "  North  Star  "  for  New  York. 
Once  on  board,  the  change  was  quickly  noticed  between 
the  two  boats.  Staterooms  were  packed  to  the  limit, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  passengers  slept  on  tables  and 
under  tables,  on  the  cabin  deck,  in  short  anywhere  they 
could  find  a  resting-place  without  being  trampled  upon. 

However,  there  was,  generally  speaking,  no  grumbling, 
all  accepting  the  situation,  and  as  long  as  the  larder 
held  out  and  a  good  table  was  set,  everything  was  har- 
monious. Bright,  pleasant  weather  and  a  smooth  sea 
prevailed  the  entire  passage. 

A  funny  incident  occurred  which  caused  a  great  deal 
of  amusement  to  those  knowing  the  secret.  The  bar  on 
the  boat  was  not  overstocked,  and  the  bartender,  not 
anticipating  such  a  rush,  had  a  scant  supply  of  liquors, 


THE    PILOT    SERVICE    IN    '63         239 

while  two-thirds  of  the  crowd  were  extremely  bibulous. 
As  a  consequence  the  stock  was  quickly  reduced  until  but 
one  bottle  of  brandy  remained.  This  bottle  did  service 
for  nearly  three  days,  and  must  have  supplied  some 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  passengers  with  drinks 
at  two  bits  (25  cents)  each. 

The  bartender  hated  to  close  down,  and  as  fast  as  a 
drink  was  called  for  it  was  replaced  by  the  same  amount 
of  colored  water.  It  grew  to  be  comical  to  see  a  passenger 
walk  up  and  call  for  a  glass  of  brandy  and  the  bottle 
passed  out,  and  in  five  minutes  one  or  two  more  saunter 
up  and  call  for  whiskey  and  the  same  bottle  handed  out. 
This  was  repeated  until  not  the  least  odor  of  any  kind  of 
liquor  remained.  A  man  would  deposit  a  quarter,  fill 
his  glass  brimming  full  and  drink  it  off,  then  turn  away 
with  a  look  of  disgust,  muttering  something  about  the 
"  blarsted  "  weakness  of  the  spirits.  It  was  of  no  use, 
though;  twenty-four  hours  before  arriving  the  barkeeper 
took  down  his  sign  and  closed  up.  For  nearly  three  days 
that  could  truly  have  been  called  a  temperance  bar. 

On  arrival  and  hauling  in  at  the  pier  in  New  York, 
the  passengers  quickly  scattered. 

Walking  up  Broadway,  my  eye  encountered  a  large 
sign  reading  "  Barnum  W.  Field,  Western  Produce."  I 
crossed  quickly,  and  entering  the  store,  which  was  large 
and  well-filled,  I  walked  to  the  rear,  and  asked  one  of  the 
many  clerks  employed,  if  Mr.  Field  was  in. 

"  Yes,  but  he  is  engaged  for  the  moment,"  was  the 
reply.  "  Shall  I  take  your  name?  " 

While  we  were  talking,  two  gentlemen  emerged  from 
the  private  office  and  passed  to  the  forward  end  of  the 
store. 

"  Which  is  Mr.  Field?  "  I  asked.  "  The  tall,  large  man," 
was  the  answer.  Following  and  standing  near  them  until 


240  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  gentleman  turned  to  go,  I  stepped  up,  and  holding  out 
my  hand,  said,  "  Good  morning,  Barney." 

"  You  have  the  advantage  of  me,"  he  said,  looking 
sharply  at  me,  and  taking  my  hand.  "  Your  face  has  a 
familiar  look,  but  I  can't  place  you." 

"  Yet  we  were  shipmates  and  chums,"  I  laughed. 

"  Where?  "  said  he. 

"  On  the  ship  '  Tsar/  "  I  replied. 

A  look  of  surprise  crossed  his  features,  and  calling  my 
name,  he  heartily  shook  hands,  and  invited  me  into  his 
private  office,  where  we  sat  an  hour  or  more,  comparing 
notes  since  the  time  we  had  left  the  ship  in  Honolulu, 
in  '48;  then  bidding  him  good-by,  and  promising  to  see 
him  when  again  in  New  York,  I  drove  to  —  where  the 
Grand  Central  Station  is  now,  and  took  the  train  for 
Boston. 

It  had  now  been  three  years  since  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  War,  and  the  end  was  not  yet.  American  ship- 
ping, aside  from  our  navy,  was  still  at  a  discount,  with 
very  little  moving,  except  under  a  foreign  flag. 

Mr.  George  Deshon  asked  me,  one  day  when  I  had 
called  into  Mr.  Deshon's  office  on  Doane  Street,  if  I  would 
take  a  trip  to  the  Bahamas,  and  when  I  inquired  the 
nature  of  the  business,  and  what  he  wished  of  me,  he 
explained  the  situation.  Owing  to  the  war,  Nassau  had 
become  the  headquarters  of  the  blockade  runners,  and 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  money  afloat  among  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  islands,  chiefly  a  colored  population.  He 
believed  that  a  good  business  could  be  done  by  trading, 
and  selling  to  the  blacks  a  miscellaneous  cargo,  made  up 
of  articles  adapted  to  their  needs,  that  could  be  disposed 
of  at  a  great  profit,  adding  that  he  and  his  brother  had 
bought  a  schooner  and  were  going  to  load  her.  He  had 
a  list  of  the  cargo  he  was  buying  made  and  shown  to  me, 


THE    PILOT    SERVICE    IN    '63         241 

and  said  he  wanted  a  man  to  command  her,  whom  he  knew 
and  in  whom  he  could  place  confidence;  to  take  entire 
charge  and  management  not  only  of  the  schooner  but 
of  the  cargo,  and  dispose  of  the  latter  among  the  darkies 
at  the  islands;  also,  to  purchase  a  return  cargo  of  fruit, 
or  anything  I  thought  would  pay.  He  offered  me  satis- 
factory compensation,  and  I  accepted  the  position,  at 
once  taking  charge  of  the  schooner  lying  at  India  Wharf, 
which  I  found  to  be  the  old  fishing-schooner  "  Eliza- 
beth," formerly  of  Marblehead,  a  staunch  old  craft,  not- 
withstanding her  age.  Her  cabin  accommodations  had 
been  enlarged,  all  hands  living  aft,  while  the  foVsle,  or 
forepeak,  had  been  thrown  into  the  hold.  Sails  and 
rigging  were  in  good  order,  being  comparatively  new. 
She  was  not  a  fast  sailer,  but  a  fine  sea-boat,  as  easy  in 
a  gale,  hove  to,  as  an  old  shoe. 

On  the  following  day  the  cargo  began  to  come  alongside, 
and  I  remained  on  the  dock  to  receive  and  receipt  for  it. 
While  thus  engaged  a  party  of  seven  men  strolled  down 
the  wharf,  looking  at  the  different  craft.  Well  knowing 
them  to  be  seafaring  men,  there  yet  was  something 
about  them  different  from  the  fo'c'sle  "  Jack  "  that  one 
sees  about  wharves  and  along  the  water  front.  While 
I  was  watching  them,  trying  to  size  them  up,  they  finally 
stopped  alongside  the  schooner,  looking  at  her  cargo 
of  bales  and  boxes,  and  one  of  them,  approaching  me, 
asked  where  she  was  bound. 

"  To  the  Bahamas,"  I  answered. 

"  Where?  "  he  again  asked. 

"  To  the  Bahama  Islands,  West  Indies/'  I  replied. 

"  Going  to  sail  quickly?  " 

"  As  soon  as  loaded." 

"  Got  your  crew?  " 

"  Not  yet." 


242  OCEAN    LIFE 

"  Can  we  go  on  board  and  look  her  over?  " 

"  Certainly,"  I  said. 

Presently  he  returned,  and  said  they  would  all  like  to 
ship,  asking  what  wages  I  was  paying.  "  Fifty  dollars 
per  month,  and  sixty  dollars  to  mate  and  cook,"  was  the 
answer.  This  was  satisfactory,  and  settling  on  one  for 
mate  and  one  for  cook  amongst  themselves,  they  asked  me 
if  I  would  accept  them  as  such.  I  told  them  I  would  if 
they  knew  their  business.  There  was  a  mystery  about 
them,  but  I  was  satisfied  their  motive  in  shipping  was 
straight,  and  they  were  all  able-bodied,  bright,  intelligent 
men,  just  what  I  wanted  for  the  cruise,  so  giving  them  a 
note  to  the  shipping-master,  they  were  enrolled  by  him 
on  the  articles  of  the  good  schooner  "  Elizabeth  "  for  a 
voyage  to  the  Bahamas  and  a  market,  for  a  term  not 
exceeding  nine  months.  Returning  to  the  schooner, 
they  went  to  work,  took  in  and  stowed  her  cargo,  got 
stores  aboard,  bent  sails,  filled  water,  and  got  the  vessel 
ready  for  sea  without  my  having  to  employ  a  man  outside 
my  crew. 

We  sailed  with  a  fine,  strong,  westerly  wind,  having 
made  arrangements  with  Mr.  George  Deshon  to  meet  me 
at  Harbor  Island,  a  small  island  that  makes  the  harbor 
of  Eleuthera,  my  first  port  of  call. 

After  getting  outside  Boston  Light,  we  had  occasion 
to  jibe  ship,  and  I  noted  the  mate,  or  first  hand,  with  the 
crew,  knew  much  more  about  a  schooner  and  her  working 
than  I  did,  for  I  was  accustomed  to  square-riggers!  No 
orders  were  necessary  except  to  tell  the  mate  what  I 
wanted  done,  every  man  knowing  what  was  required 
beforehand. 

The  wind  hauling  to  the  southward,  and  blowing  a 
stiff  gale,  we  hove  to  on  the  southeast  part  of  Georges 
Bank,  and  putting  the  wheel  alee  in  the  becket,  with  one 


THE    PILOT    SERVICE    IN    '63         243 

on  deck  for  the  lookout,  all  hands  settled  down  to  enjoy 
themselves  in  the  cabin,  where  it  was  warm  and  com- 
fortable. Green,  my  first  hand,  a  big  fellow  from  Castine, 
Maine,  got  out  his  fiddle,  and  being  a  good  performer, 
made  everything  lively  for  a  couple  of  hours. 

It  all  came  out  that  evening,  — who  my  crew  were. 
They  were,  every  one  of  them,  skippers  of  coasting 
schooners  who  had  been  drafted  into  the  army,  and 
having  no  desire  to  serve  and  no  wish  to  hire  or  money 
to  pay  a  substitute,  they  concluded  to  get  out  of  the 
country  in  a  body,  and  stay  out  until  the  war  was  over, 
and  so  came  to  Boston,  and  seeing  an  opportunity  to 
get  a  berth  with  me  for  five  or  six  months  with  good 
pay,  had  shipped  on  the  "  Elizabeth."  Although  not 
wishing  to  serve  in  the  army,  they  were  brim  full  of 
patriotism,  as  will  be  seen  later  on.  Altogether,  they 
were  a  fine  set  of  men,  sober,  industrious,  implicitly 
obedient  to  orders,  honest;  feeling,  each  one,  a  respon- 
sibility to  make  the  trading  trip  a  success.  Night  or  day 
they  were  always  ready  for  a  call,  and  not  a  word  of 
grumbling. 

The  gale  moderating,  and  wind  hauling  in  the  right 
quarter,  the  "  Elizabeth "  soon  made  Abaco,  the  most 
northern  of  the  Bahama  group,  and  passing  Green  Turtle 
Key  and  Abaco  Light,  we  shortly  sighted  Harbor  Island. 

A  fine  landmark  for  the  entrance  on  the  east  side  was 
a  row  of  cocoanut  palms  all  inclined  one  way.  A  tongue 
of  land  overlapping  the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  it  was  not 
easy  to  distinguish  unless  close  in,  but  the  trees  formed  a 
capital  guide  to  the  entrance.  There  is  another  entrance 
on  the  north  side  through  the  reef.  About  all  these 
islands,  like  those  of  the  Pacific,  are  surrounded  by  a 
coral  reef,  with  passages  through  in  various  places. 
Running  down  inshore,  two  of  the  islanders  came  off, 


244  OCEAN    LIFE 

one  of  whom  piloted  us  safely  into  the  harbor,  where  we 
dropped  anchor  and  lay  as  though  in  a  mill-pond. 

The  Bahama  Islands,  on  the  verge  of  the  belt  of  trade 
winds,  have  the  most  delightful  climate  for  a  winter 
resort,  neither  too  hot,  nor  too  cold. 

Nassau,  on  Providence  Island,  the  capital,  has  fine 
hotel  accommodations  for  the  visitor  wishing  to  escape 
the  rigors  of  a  northern  winter,  and  one  of  the  most 
enjoyable  trips  during  his  stay  is  a  visit  to  the  outlying 
islands  and  keys,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  of  the  most 
sociable  class,  doing  everything  to  make  the  visitor's 
time  pass  pleasantly.  They  are  mostly  colored,  with  a 
large  sprinkling  of  whites. 

As  the  sailing  on  these  trips  is  all  inside  the  keys  and 
reefs,  the  water  is  smooth  and  there  is  no  fear  of  sea- 
sickness while  passing  over  reefs,  which,  seen  through  the 
clear  water,  with  their  wealth  of  sponges  and  sea-fans, 
coral,  bright-waving  marine  foliage  and  myriads  of  fish 
of  every  hue,  form  a  most  interesting  study  for  the 
student  of  life  beneath  the  waves. 

Here  I  was  joined  by  Mr.  George  Deshon,  who  had 
come  out  by  steamer,  and  had  been  waiting  several  days 
for  my  arrival,  and  disposing  of  some  of  our  stock  here, 
we  ran  around  to  a  little  settlement  called  the  "  Current," 
where  we  made  some  sales  of  furniture  and  provisions, 
sailing  thence  to  Governor's  Harbor  and  Rock  Sound, 
ports  of  Eleuthera. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 
1864  -  1865 

COASTING    IN    THE   BAHAMAS.  —  SOCIABILITY   A   PROMOTER 

OF    TRADE. EXTRA    CARE    IN   FRUIT   TRANSPORTATION. 

—  FAMOUS     BLOCKADE    RUNNERS.  —  END    OF    THE    WAR 
A    BLOW   TO    NASSAU 

A  MONTH,  or  more,  had  been  occupied  in  coasting 
along  the  shores  of  the  various  islands  and  keys,  stopping 
at  every  little  settlement  to  barter,  and  we  had  but  half 
disposed  of  our  cargo.  Sometimes  we  anchored  off  the 
beach,  as  at  Cat  Island,  and  went  ashore  to  drum  up 
trade,  and  having  landed  a  lot  of  whatever  we  thought 
would  be  in  demand,  we  held  auctions  on  the  beach. 
These  occasions  would  be  rare  fun  for  the  crew,  as  Green 
was  a  capital  auctioneer,  and  the  rest  of  the  boys  made  it 
lively  for  the  colored  folks.  Frequently,  when  there  had 
been  a  good  trade,  and  the  bidding  lively,  we  would 
announce  a  dance  in  the  evening  at  one  of  their  houses, 
for  which  they  were  always  ready,  and  Green  with  his 
fiddle  and  Thomas  with  the  accordion  would  open  the 
ball. 

This  got  noised  around  and  helped  trade  amazingly, 
the  populace  being  always  glad  to  see  us.  Mr.  Deshon 
always  enjoyed  these  occasions,  and  entered  heartily 
into  the  spirit  of  them. 

Governor's  Harbor,  on  the  west  side  of  Eleuthera, 

245 


246  OCEAN    LIFE 

the  shipping  point  for  pineapples  to  the  English  market, 
was  a  town  of  considerable  importance.  At  this  time 
there  were  no  steamers  engaged  in  the  fruit  trade,  but  a 
beautiful  class  of  clipper  schooners,  Clyde  built,  that 
congregated  at  Governor's  Harbor,  waiting  for  their 
cargoes  of  pines.  Only  the  sugar-loaf  pines  were  carried, 
the  scarlet  or  Spanish  not  being  so  much  in  favor  with 
the  English  people.  These  pines  were  carried  in  the  tree 
or  shrub,  and  handled  with  great  care;  shrub,  stalk  and 
pineapples  being  shipped  as  growing.  It  took  a  great 
deal  more  room  to  ship  them  in  this  way,  but  the  safe 
carriage  of  the  fruit  was  insured,  and  the  high  price  paid 
for  pines  in  the  English  market  warranted  the  extra 
expense. 

Green  turtle  were  also  carried  by  these  fruiters  and 
brought  a  high  price.  A  large  corral  was  kept  by  the 
agent,  who  bought  all  that  was  brought  in,  paying  regular 
market  rates  for  them.  It  was  enclosed  with  stakes  that 
would  hold  a  great  number  until  time  for  shipment. 
Turtle  of  other  kinds  abounded  in  these  waters;  among 
them  the  loggerhead,  an  immense  fellow,  sometimes 
weighing  from  five  hundred  to  six  hundred  pounds;  also 
the  hawksbill,  a  smaller  turtle,  prized  for  its  shell.  Fre- 
quent excursions  were  made  to  the  beaches  on  the  ocean 
side,  on  bright  moonlight  nights,  to  watch  for,  and 
capture  turtle.  Lying  still  and  watching,  we  would  see 
them  emerge  from  the  water  and  crawl  up  the  beach 
above  high-water  mark,  to  lay  their  eggs,  to  be  hatched 
out  by  the  sun  and  the  warmth  of  the  sand.  When  well 
up  the  beach,  a  rush  would  be  made  upon  them,  and 
before  they  could  turn  to  the  water  they  would  be  thrown 
upon  their  backs,  making  their  escape  impossible,  as  they 
could  not  turn  over  on  land.  Some  of  the  big  fellows 
required  the  united  strength  of  three  or  four  men  to  turn 


COASTING    IN    THE    BAHAMAS        247 

them.  Great  care  had  to  be  taken  to  prevent  their  getting 
headed  for  the  water,  in  which  case  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible to  stop  them,  for  if  you  were  in  front  of  them  they 
would  bite  most  savagely,  and  in  their  rear  one  would  be 
blinded  by  the  shower  of  sand  and  small  pebbles  thrown 
out  by  their  rear  flippers.  Their  eggs  are  carefully  covered 
when  they  are  in  the  sand,  but  when  the  young  turtle 
hatch  out  and  make  for  the  water,  they  have  numerous 
enemies  who  are  on  the  lookout  for  them,  and  between 
the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  fish  in  the  sea,  the  turtle 
family  have  a  very  hard  time  of  it.  Although  there  may 
be  a  hundred  or  more  eggs  hatched  out,  not  a  fifth  of  the 
brood  survive.  The  eggs  are  round,  about  half  the  size 
of  a  hen's  egg,  yellow  in  appearance,  and  soft-shelled. 
They  are  very  nice  roasted,  or  made  into  an  omelet.  To 
find  them  in  the  sand,  one  goes  around  with  a  sharp 
pointed  stick,  and  when  a  nest  is  found  by  punching, 
uncovers  and  removes  the  eggs. 

Rock  Sound  is  a  deep  bay  on  the  southern  end  of 
Eleuthera,  and  a  town  of  the  same  name  lies  at  the 
head  of  the  bay.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  inland  is  a  natural 
curiosity  called  the  "  Ocean  Hole,"  a  perfectly  round 
basin,  having  a  circumference  of  about  5,000  feet,  with 
walls  of  stone  rising  from  the  water  perpendicular  and 
smooth,  to  a  height  of  50  feet.  There  is  only  one  place 
where  one  can  descend  to  the  water.  It  is  surrounded 
by  trees,  and  is  not  visible  to  one  approaching  it  until  he 
is  close  to  it.  In  this  basin  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  and 
the  water  is  as  blue  as  the  ocean  water  outside  the  reef, 
showing  that  it  must  have  an  ocean  outlet.  Salt-water 
fish  are  found  in  it,  and  in  the  centre  there  is  apparently 
no  soundings.  Articles  that  have  been  thrown  in  have 
been  found  on  the  north  end  of  the  island,  forty-five  miles 
distant. 


248  OCEAN    LIFE 

One  evening  we  were  about  leaving  Rock  Sound,  where 
our  trade  had  been  very  good  as  well  as  at  Governor's 
Harbor,  and  all  hands  went  ashore.  I  was  settling  up 
business,  intending  to  sail  in  the  morning  for  a  little  place 
called  the  "  Cove."  Pulling  on  board  just  as  a  coasting 
schooner  came  to  an  anchor,  we  passed  her  boat  with 
the  crew  pulling  ashore,  and  on  hailing  them  we  learnt 
that  she  was  from  Nassau.  To  our  inquiry  for  news  of 
the  war  they  replied  that  "  that  old  scoundrel  Lincoln 
had  been  shot." 

Ordering  the  boat's  head  around  for  shore  again,  we 
landed  with  them  to  get  particulars,  which  we  obtained 
with  so  much  denunciation  of  the  administration  of 
our  government,  —  President  Lincoln  and  all  officials,  — 
that  the  ire  of  Green  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  was  roused, 
and  they  responded  in  a  manner  that  brought  on  a  free- 
for-all  fight.  The  chaps  fought  well,  but  were  no  match 
for  our  boys,  and  in  a  very  short  time  they  received  the 
pounding  of  their  lives,  after  which  all  our  men  went  on 
board  happy,  having  in  their  opinion  aired  their  patriot- 
ism, and  vindicated  the  honor  of  the  old  flag. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  Cove,  Mr.  Deshon  left  for 
Nassau  to  take  the  steamer  for  New  York.  I  went  down 
with  him  in  a  small  boat,  and  we  had  with  us  the  specie 
that  we  had  taken  on  the  trip.  We  arrived  just  in  time 
for  me  to  see  him  on  board  the  steamer  before  she  sailed. 
Returning  to  the  schooner,  I  arranged  for  the  sale  of 
the  remaining  portion  of  the  cargo,  and  putting  on  shore 
a  part,  returned  to  Governor's  Harbor  with  the  balance, 
which  was  landed,  and  taking  on  a  small  load  of  pines, 
we  sailed  for  Boston,  where  we  arrived  without  mishap, 
having  been  absent  three  months.  The  crew  having  been 
paid  off,  left  for  home,  there  being  now  little  danger 
from  the  draft. 


COASTING    IN    THE    BAHAMAS        249 

Mr.  Deshon  concluding  not  to  make  another  venture, 
I  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Manning  to  make  one 
more  trip  as  supercargo,  and  was  in  Nassau  in  company 
with  a  large  number  of  the  most  famous  blockade  runners, 
all  engaged  in  running  cotton.  This  was  a  money-making 
business  for  those  who  engaged  in  it,  if  they  escaped 
capture  by  the  blockading  fleet.  The  steamers,  designed 
especially  for  speed,  long,  low,  and  very  sharp,  would 
come  out  from  England,  laden  with  a  cargo  destined  for 
the  South  but  shipped  to  Nassau,  where,  on  arrival,  the 
cargo  was  taken  out  and  then  hurriedly  put  on  board 
again,  when  she  was  ready  for  her  run.  If  successful,  the 
captain  received  $5,000  in  gold,  and  one  or  more  bales  of 
cotton,  and  all  on  board  were  pecuniarily  interested.  It 
was  not,  by  all  accounts,  such  a  difficult  matter  to  get 
into  port,  but  the  getting  out,  laden  with  cotton,  was 
the  problem  to  be  worked  out.  Frequently,  when  having 
successfully  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  blockading  fleet  off 
the  port,  and  thinking  they  were  all  clear  and  safe,  they 
would  find  themselves  at  daylight  close  under  the  guns 
of  a  U.  S.  gunboat  stationed  on  the  offshore  blockade. 
An  amusing  incident,  as  related  by  Captain  William 
Swasey  of  Marblehead,  acting  master  of  one  of  the 
gunboats  on  the  outer  station,  is  a  case  in  point. 

One  morning  at  daylight  a  steamer  was  sighted  close 
aboard,  and  being  covered  by  the  guns  of  the  gunboat, 
it  was  too  late  to  escape.  Heaving  her  to,  Captain  Swasey 
was  ordered  on  board  the  blockade  runner  to  bring  the 
captain  to  the  gunboat.  Naturally  he  was  chagrined  to 
find  himself  caught  in  a  trap,  after  supposing  himself 
past  all  danger. 

Ascending  the  gangway,  Captain  Swasey  stepped  on 
board.  With  an  extended  hand  and  in  a  cheerful, 
breezy  manner,  he  greeted  the  runner's  captain,  who 


250  OCEAN    LIFE 

stood  aft,  bidding  him  good  morning,  and  adding  that  he 
was  very  glad  to  see  him. 

"  Are  you?  "  said  the  captain  of  the  captured  vessel. 
"  Well!  It's  a  d — d  sight  more  that  I  am  to  see  you, 
this  morning." 

The  men  were  taken  out,  a  prize  crew  put  on  board, 
and  the  vessel  with  her  cargo  was  sent  to  a  northern  port. 
The  prize  money  from  these  captures  was  something 
enormous.  This  same  acting  master  received  some  ten 
thousand  dollars  as  his  share  in  six  months'  time,  while 
a  captain  who  was  formerly  my  second  mate,  and  who 
was  in  the  volunteer  naval  service,  was  so  fortunate  as 
to  receive  as  his  share  from  his  prize  money,  upwards  of 
eighty  thousand  dollars. 

After  making  a  cruise  through  the  islands  and  returning 
to  Nassau,  we  found  there  the  ram  "  Stonewall  Jackson," 
built  for  the  Confederates  and  named  for  the  Confederate 
General  Thomas  J.  Jackson,  nicknamed  "  Stonewall." 
It  was  a  most  formidable-looking  craft,  anchored  outside 
the  harbor.  She  was,  however,  too  late  to  do  any  damage, 
as  but  a  short  time  after  came  the  news  of  the  fall  of  the 
Confederacy.  The  news  came  like  a  thunderbolt  to 
Nassau  and  its  merchants.  All  were  confident  the  war 
would  last  for  a  year  and  perhaps  years  longer,  and 
merchants  found  a  ready  market  at  top  prices  for  their 
goods.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Bahamas  were  literally 
rolling  in  wealth;  the  labor  of  the  blacks  commanding 
from  three  to  five  dollars  an  hour  on  night  work,  and  the 
work  was  going  on  night  and  day. 

Nassau  was  the  hot-bed  of  secession,  and  it  was  ex- 
tremely unhealthy  to  show  sympathy  for  the  North 
within  its  borders.  Orders  were  sent  to  England,  limits 
taken  off,  and  every  warehouse  was  stuffed  with  goods, 
when  the  news  came  that  the  war  was  over! 


COASTING    IN    THE    BAHAMAS        251 

Prices  on  everything  dropped  far  below  the  zero  mark. 
Every  house,  except  two,  went  under,  while  goods  of 
all  descriptions  were  rushed  out  among  the  islands,  to 
be  sold  at  any  price  that  could  be  obtained.  Fine  boots 
that  were  formerly  sold  at  ten  or  twelve  dollars  a  pair, 
were  let  go  at  fifty  cents,  and  other  things  in  like  pro- 
portion. It  was  a  great  blow  to  Nassau,  and  one 
from  which  it  took  a  long  time  to  recover. 

My  invoice  having  been  disposed  of  before  the  crash 
came,  I  chartered  the  schooner  to  a  Nassau  house,  one 
of  the  two  that  withstood  the  shock,  to  load  oranges  at 
Andros  Island  for  New  York,  and  sending  the  captain 
off,  I  remained  to  settle  up  some  business  before  taking  the 
steamer  for  New  York.  Returning  to  Harbor  Island,  I 
remained  there  two  weeks,  when  a  schooner  arrived  with 
a  delegation  on  board,  including  the  candidates  for 
election  to  the  House  of  Assembly  at  Nassau.  They  were 
on  a  tour  of  the  islands,  holding  meetings  at  all  the 
principal  points,  canvassing  for  votes,  and  were  a  jolly  lot. 

I  had  business  at  Green  Turtle  Key,  and  on  my  men- 
tioning it  to  the  captain  of  the  schooner,  whom  I  knew 
very  well,  he  gave  me  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  join 
the  party  on  board  and  make  the  trip  with  them.  This 
invitation  I  was  not  slow  to  accept,  as  I  had  no  way 
of  getting  over  except  by  chartering  a  small  craft  to  take 
me  across,  and  that  was  expensive. 

The  general  election  for  the  members  of  the  "  As- 
sembly," —  the  legislative  body  in  the  Bahamas,  which 
are  governed  by  Great  Britain,  —  was  a  great  affair, 
participated  in  by  every  voter  in  the  group;  as  much, 
or  more,  interest  and  party  spirit  being  shown,  as  in  our 
presidential  election  at  home.  Although  no  salary  is 
attached  to  the  office,  it  is  deemed  the  highest  honor  to 
serve  as  a  member  of  the  "  House  "  and  be  able  to  place 


252  OCEAN    LIFE 

"  M.  A."  after  the  incumbent's  name,  while  large  sums, 
as  with  us,  are  expended  in  campaign  expenses,  and  to 
influence  votes.  Our  party,  composed  of  gentlemen 
upon  making  whose  acquaintance  I  found  to  be  a  most 
congenial  set,  was  well  supplied  with  spirited  arguments, 
which,  with  the  eatables,  were  carefully  stowed  in  the 
schooner's  hold,  to  be  brought  forth  as  occasion  demanded, 
and  the  candidate  making  the  best  showing  in  this  line 
and  with  good  oratorical  powers,  was  the  one  who  generally 
won  the  prize. 

Our  first  stop,  after  leaving  Harbor  Island,  was  at 
Cherry  Harbor,  a  small  settlement  just  inside  the  keys 
on  the  island  of  Abaco.  Here  we  found  our  rival  can- 
didate, who  was  having  things  all  his  own  way.  He  had 
addressed  his  constituents,  sent  out  his  henchmen, 
counted  noses,  and  was  so  firm  in  the  belief  that  he  would 
be  elected  the  following  day  at  Cherry  Harbor,  that  he 
had  ordered  a  large  pig  killed  to  make  a  big  pork  pie  or 
stew  for  the  voters. 

No  sooner  was  our  anchor  dropped  than  a  dozen  or 
more  colored  gentlemen  boarded  us,  knowing  we  had 
on  board  the  rival  candidate.  They  were  received  with 
open  arms  and  told  us  about  all  the  proceedings  on 
shore,  of  the  pig  being  killed  and  so  forth.  They  were 
talked  to,  the  spirited  arguments  were  brought  forth, 
also  the  eatables,  and  in  an  hour  they  went  ashore  pledged 
to  our  party  and  to  influence  all  their  friends;  in  short, 
to  invite  the  whole  population  to  come  on  board  and 
partake  of  the  good  things,  after  which  the  Hon.  Mr. 
So  and  So,  the  candidate,  and  other  distinguished  guests, 
would  address  the  citizens  of  Cherry  Harbor  on  the  issues 
at  stake,  and  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  Bahama 
Islands;  also  announcing  that  a  dance  would  be  held 
after  the  speaking,  to  which  all  were  invited,  and  refresh- 


COASTING    IN    THE    BAHAMAS        253 

ments,  with  light  wines  for  the  ladies,  would  be  provided 
through  the  liberality  and  courtesy  of  the  Hon.  Mr. 
So  and  So,  our  distinguished  candidate. 

The  election  came  off,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  our 
candidate  was  elected  by  a  rousing  majority.  Our  rival, 
scenting  defeat,  sent  out  word  the  following  morning 
not  to  kill  the  pig,  but  he  was  assured  it  was  not  only 
killed  but  eaten! 

Leaving  Cherry  Harbor  for  Green  Turtle  Key  and 
passing  Great  Harbor  until  our  return,  we  arrived  in 
the  evening,  at  once  going  ashore,  where  our  constituents 
were  awaiting  us.  Our  advance  agents  reported  every- 
thing in  good  form  and  victory  certain. 

Green  Turtle  Key,  lying  northeast  of  Abaco  is  a  thriving 
settlement,  having  a  mixed  population  of  whites  and 
colored  about  equally  divided.  They  live  by  fishing, 
orange  culture,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  land  for  raising 
their  own  vegetables,  wrecking,  or  any  employment  that 
offers.  They  are  a  most  hospitable  class,  their  doors 
always  open  to  strangers. 

The  following  day,  being  election,  was  observed  as  a 
holiday.  Turtle  was  served  up,  in  every  style,  to  the 
voters,  and,  in  fact,  to  any  one  who  would  partake. 
Speeches  were  made,  and  after  the  votes  were  counted, 
and  it  was  announced  that  our  candidate  was  the  one 
elected,  a  general  jollification  was  held,  which  lasted  into 
the  early  morning  hours. 

Continuing  on  to  Great  Harbor,  I  there  took  leave 
of  my  hospitable  host,  I  wishing  to  go  to  Nassau,  while 
they  were  bound  for  Long  Island  and  Rum  Key.  A 
small  craft,  bound  over,  suiting  my  convenience,  I  reached 
Nassau  safely,  in  time  for  the  New  York  steamer,  and 
two  days  later,  bidding  adieu  to  the  Bahamas,  a  pleasant 
run  of  four  days  brought  us  to  the  pier  in  North  River. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

1866  -  1867 


AND  PETERSBURG.  —  RIVER  GIRONDE  AND  BORDEAUX. 

HAPPY    OCEAN    LIFE    IN    OLD    SAILING    SHIP    DAYS 

THE  war  had  closed,  but  all  business  was  in  a  most 
unsettled  state.  Wounded  and  disabled  troops  were 
constantly  returning  to  the  headquarters  of  the  several 
States  to  be  mustered  out,  and  although  there  was  joy 
at  the  ending  of  the  war  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,  sad  scenes  were  daily  witnessed.  Many  house- 
holds were  in  sorrow,  throughout  the  land,  mourning 
for  fathers,  husbands  and  sons,  who  had  gone  forth  to 
battle,  laying  down  their  lives  for  their  country  and 
to  preserve  the  Union  and  the  honor  of  the  flag. 

The  next  eight  months  I  spent  on  shore,  constantly 
on  the  watch  for  a  vessel  I  could  buy  into  that  would 
be  suitable.  I  had  contracted  a  second  marriage,  and 
intended  to  take  my  wife  with  me  on  the  voyage,  and 
getting  the  refusal  of  a  new  barque  of  eight  hundred 
tons,  then  on  her  first  voyage  from  Havana  to  New  York, 
to  command  if  satisfactory,  I  awaited  her  arrival  at  the 
latter  port  with  some  degree  of  impatience. 

Upon  her  arrival  I  inspected  her,  and  at  once  closed 
the  purchase  and  took  charge.  The  "  Keystone  "  was  a 
fine  vessel,  having  good  carrying  capacity.  She  was 

254 


THE    BARQUE    "KEYSTONE"          255 

fairly  sharp,  had  fine  sailing  qualities  and  nice  accom- 
modations, consisting  of  a  roomy  main  cabin  with  a 
cozy  after,  or  ladies'  cabin;  just  the  craft  in  which  to 
make  a  lady  comfortable,  and  a  captain  taking  his  wife 
to  sea  with  him  would  have  a  very  pleasant  home. 

I  obtained  a  charter  to  load  tobacco  at  City  Point, 
Va.,  for  Bordeaux,  and  the  barque  was  fitted  out  for 
six  months,  expecting  to  return  to  New  York  from 
Europe. 

My  first  officer,  Mr.  Charles  B.  Nelson,  was  a  stranger 
to  me,  but  highly  recommended,  while  my  second  officer, 
Mr.  Edwin  H.  Lovett,  had  formerly  served  with  me  in 
the  same  position  on  the  ship  "  J.  P.  Whitney." 

I  returned  to  Boston  for  my  wife  and  to  settle  a  few 
business  matters,  and  took  the  train  back  to  New  York, 
arriving  at  10  P.  M.  and  putting  up  at  a  hotel  until  ready 
for  sea.  My  wife's  brother  accompanied  us,  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  his  sister  and  see  her  off.  This  made  it 
very  pleasant,  for  he  could  escort  her  around  shopping 
or  sightseeing,  while  I  was  busy,  attending  to  the  busi- 
ness of  the  barque. 

When  everything  was  in  readiness  for  sailing,  we 
embarked,  Brother  George  going  down  the  bay  with  us 
to  return  on  the  towboat  from  Sandy  Hook. 

Hauling  into  the  stream,  the  tug  came  alongside,  and 
making  fast,  we  proceeded  down  the  harbor,  bidding 
good-by  to  New  York  on  as  bright  and  beautiful  a  July 
morning  as  one  could  ever  witness,  little  thinking  that 
three  years  would  roll  around,  and  great  changes  occur, 
ere  we  again  saw  it. 

Arriving  at  Sandy  Hook,  sail  was  made,  after  which 
George  took  a  final  leave  of  his  sister  and  went  on  board 
the  tug;  fasts  were  cast  off,  and  with  a  "  good-by  and 
pleasant  voyage  "  from  the  towboat  captain,  we  parted 


256  OCEAN    LIFE 

company,  the  tug  returning  to  New  York,  while  the 
"  Keystone  "  continued  her  voyage  south. 

Looking  over  our  crew  to  see  who  we  had  on  board, 
the  result  was  entirely  satisfactory.  The  crew  were  mostly 
Swedes  and  Norwegians,  with  a  Finn  and  two  Germans, 
all  able-bodied  men,  and  good  sailors,  as  afterwards 
proved;  a  carpenter,  my  old  Chinese  steward  that  I 
was  fortunate  enough  to  run  across  in  New  York,  a  Malay 
cook,  Mrs.  Whidden  and  myself,  made  up  the  barque's 
complement  of  sixteen,  all  told. 

A  quick  run  brought  us  to  Fortress  Monroe,  where, 
taking  a  pilot,  we  sailed  up  the  James  River  to  City  Point, 
and  made  fast  to  the  wharf  to  await  our  cargo  of  tobacco, 
which  was  to  be  sent  down  from  Richmond  in  lighters. 

The  trip  up  the  river  was  of  more  than  usual  interest. 
It  was  so  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  that  almost 
every  foot  of  ground  and  point  of  land  had  a  history, 
and  the  pilot  pointed  out  to  us  where  some  of  the  most 
thrilling  scenes  were  enacted. 

As  it  would  be  a  week  before  our  cargo  would  begin 
to  arrive,  we  improved  the  time  by  visiting  Richmond, 
and  for  a  few  days  made  our  headquarters  at  the  Spots- 
wood  Hotel.  Although  the  war  was  ended,  the  old 
spirit  of  secession  was  still  strong  in  the  hearts  of  the 
South.  In  Richmond,  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy,  the 
feeling  of  rancor  and  bitterness  towards  the  North  was 
still  apparent,  and  cropped  out  when  conversing  with 
the  citizens,  the  old  residents  particularly,  and  it  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at;  the  wound  was  so  recent,  that 
any  reference  to  the  struggle  between  the  North  and  South 
was  sure  to  bring  out  an  expression  of  opinion  favorable 
to  the  latter.  For  this  reason,  we  carefully  avoided  the 
subject  of  the  war,  unless  sure  of  our  ground;  being 
desirous  of  information,  we  did  not  wish  to  antagonize 


THE    BARQUE    "KEYSTONE"          257 

any  one.  Returning  to  City  Point,  we  took  the  train  for 
Petersburg,  and  visited  the  battlefields,  in  front  of  the 
town,  where  occurred  some  of  the  hardest  fighting  of 
the  war;  the  crater,  of  the  mine  designed  by  the  Union 
forces  to  undermine  a  Confederate  fort,  and  the  blowing 
up  of  the  same,  July  30,  1864;  the  rifle  pits  and  trenches 
where  the  sharpshooters  of  both  armies  lay  entrenched 
almost  within  a  stone's  throw  of  one  another,  each  seeking 
to  pick  off  his  opponent  if  he  exposed  himself  to  fire; 
each  and  every  spot  being  pointed  out  by  our  guide, 
who  was  an  ex-Confederate  soldier,  and  an  active  partici- 
pant in  the  struggle  before  Petersburg. 

Relics  of  the  fight  were  to  be  picked  up  on  every  side,  — 
bullets,  broken  gun-stocks  and  ramrods,  army  buttons,  — 
and  we  could  imagine  the  tide  of  battle  that  surged 
around  this  spot,  which  now  the  sun  shone  down  upon 
so  peacefully  and  bright,  but  the  most  vivid  imagining 
would  fall  far  short  of  the  reality. 

In  the  evening,  at  the  hotel  we  listened  to  thrilling 
stories  of  the  fighting  before  Petersburg  "  in  the  days 
that  tried  men's  souls,"  and  taking  our  train  the  following 
morning  for  City  Point,  we  bade  adieu  to  these  historic 
scenes,  feeling  well  repaid  for  our  visit. 

We  made  some  very  pleasant  acquaintances  at  City 
Point,  and  our  time  passed  quickly  in  a  round  of  visiting 
and  sightseeing,  until,  our  lading  completed,  we  bade 
good-by  to  our  shore  friends,  and  taking  a  pilot  on  board, 
proceeded  down  river  in  tow  of  a  tugboat.  Arriving  at 
Fortress  Monroe,  we  came  to  anchor  for  the  night,  and 
early  next  morning,  got  under  way,  and  proceeded  to 
sea. 

A  heavy  swell  from  the  south'ard  and  a  fall  in  the 
barometer  indicated  a  blow  from  that  quarter,  but  the 
wind  being  fair,  strong  west,  the  "  Keystone  "  was  kept 


258  OCEAN    LIFE 

due  east  to  cross  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  if  the  storm  proved 
to  be  a  hurricane,  as  I  suspected  by  the  great  swell,  I 
expected  to  escape  it,  or  the  worst  part  of  it,  by  pushing 
her  across  its  path  before  it  reached  our  latitude.  This 
was  most  fortunate,  for,  as  we  learned  later,  a  furious 
hurricane,  that  followed  the  course  of  the  Gulf  Stream, 
swept  across  our  wake  twelve  to  fifteen  hours  after  we 
had  passed,  doing  immense  damage  to  shipping  caught 
in  its  path,  and  along  the  coast;  while  we  carried  our 
fair  wind  and  smooth  sea  the  entire  passage  to  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Gironde,  not  even  having  occasion  to  hand 
a  royal,  and  making  the  run  in  twenty-one  days  from 
Hampton  Roads. 

This  was  my  wife's  first  ocean  experience,  barring  the 
short  run  from  New  York  to  City  Point,  and  there  was 
not  a  day's  sickness  to  mar  her  pleasure,  and  no  rough 
weather. 

We  entered  the  river,  and  having  passed  the  high 
lighthouse  of  Cordouan,  a  pilot  came  aboard,  and  we 
proceeded  up-stream  and  taking  a  tug  a  little  below  the 
city  of  Bordeaux,  and  towing  past  the  tiers  of  shipping, 
the  "  Keystone  "  was  moored  but  a  short  distance  from 
the  banks  that  rise  at  quite  a  steep  incline  from  the 
water. 

I  found,  on  calling  upon  my  consignees,  that  tobacco 
cargoes  were  discharged  singly,  and  we  would  have  to 
await  our  turn,  although  we  were  ready  for  discharging. 
There  were  two  ships  ahead  of  us.  We  had  thirty-five 
lay  days  and  were  obliged  to  wait.  This  was  bad,  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it. 

The  city  of  Bordeaux,  on  the  banks  of  the  Gironde 
River,  is  the  centre  of  the  wine  export  trade.  Many 
American  vessels  were  in  port,  and  quite  a  number  of 
captains  had  their  wives  or  families  with  them,  among 


QUAYS  AND   RIVER    FRONTAGE,   BORDEAUX 


QUAI   LOUIS   XVIII   AND  LIGHT  -  TOWERS,    RIVER  GIRONDE, 
BORDEAUX 


THE    BARQUE    "KEYSTONE"          259 

whom  there  was  frequent  visiting,  dinner  parties,  rides, 
shopping  and  shore  excursions,  all  of  which  served  to 
pass  the  time  in  a  most  enjoyable  manner,  making  it 
very  pleasant  for  the  ladies. 

The  city  is  well  laid  out,  the  streets  are  broad  and 
clean,  there  are  handsome  public  squares  with  fountains, 
and  many  beautiful  public  buildings. 

Among  the  many  places  of  interest  which  we  visited 
was  the  Basilique  St.  Andre  (Cathedral  of  St.  Andrew), 
a  very  ancient  building  erected  more  than  twelve  hun- 
dred years  ago.  It  is  very  quaint  and  massive,  and  of 
great  interest  to  the  student  of  architecture.  Some 
years  back,  in  excavating  for  repairs,  the  workmen 
had  discovered  and  unearthed  between  two  hundred 
and  three  hundred  bodies  that  had  been  interred  within 
its  walls.  There  was  no  record  of  them,  or  how  long 
they  had  been  buried,  but  it  must  have  been  centuries; 
yet  there  was  little  evidence  of  decay,  save  that  the 
skin  was  dark  and  resembled  leather.  They  had  long 
dark  hair,  and  the  features  of  some  were  almost  perfect. 
We  were  told  that  their  preservation  was  owing  to  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  earth  in  which  they  were  buried. 
They  were  ranged,  standing  with  no  glass  between  them 
and  the  observer,  around  a  large  room,  or  crypt,  under 
one  corner  of  the  edifice,  and  were  objects  of  great  curiosity 
to  all  visitors. 

The  cathedral  was  open  at  all  hours,  and  service  almost 
constantly  going  on. 

Notre  Dame  was  another  fine  old  church,  — or  new 
beside  St.  Andre,  being  but  three  hundred  years  old. 
This  was  the  English  church,  where  services  were  held 
daily. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  city  are  beautiful  gardens, 
facing  the  river  and  the  Quai  Louis  XVIII.  On  each 


260  OCEAN    LIFE 

side  of  the  entrance  stand  two  high  light-towers,  which 
act  as  a  river  guide  at  night.  These  gardens  are  great 
pleasure  resorts.  Public  and  private  fairs  and  fetes  are 
held  there,  and  games  of  all  kinds.  In  company  with 
others  we  visited  them  many  times,  always  finding 
something  interesting  and  amusing. 

Our  visits  to  the  great  canning  establishments,  where 
fish,  flesh  and  fowl,  fruits,  and  every  kind  of  vegetable, 
were  put  up  in  cans  for  export  to  every  part  of  the  world, 
were  most  interesting  and  instructive.  The  great  kitchens 
where  everything  was  prepared,  the  immense  caldrons  and 
cooking  apparatus,  the  canning  and  sealing  department, 
and  great  storehouses,  all  came  under  our  inspection, 
and  throughout  the  whole  great  establishment  everything 
was  cleanliness  itself,  —  not  a  speck  of  dirt  or  dust  to  be 
seen,  —  and  in  after  days  we  relished  our  stock  of  canned 
goods  much  more  from  having  witnessed  the  perfect 
modus  operandi. 

We  chartered  the  "  Keystone  "  for  Buenos  Ayres,  to 
load  wines  and  liquors,  and  having  got  rid  of  our  tobacco, 
we  commenced  our  lading,  and  in  sixty-five  days  from 
entering  the  port  of  Bordeaux  were  again  ready  for 
sea. 

All  stores  on  board,  taking  a  river  pilot,  we  proceeded 
down  river  in  tow  of  a  tug,  in  company  with  the  barque 
"  White  Cloud,"  Captain  Ames,  who  was  bound  for 
New  Orleans.  Discharging  our  pilot  at  Pauillac,  all 
sail  was  made,  and  with  a  fine  rattling  breeze,  we  were 
soon  clear  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  heading  south  for 
the  trade  winds;  obtaining  a  fine  view  of  Madeira  in 
passing,  also  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe  (Canary  Islands), 
towering  among  the  clouds.  The  wind  gradually  hauling 
to  the  eastward,  the  trade  clouds  began  to  appear  hanging 
around  the  horizon,  with  shoals  of  flying-fish,  and  fields  of 


THE    BARQUE    "KEYSTONE"          261 

gulfweed,  in  that  soft,  balmy  atmosphere  inseparable  from 
the  region  of  the  trade  winds.  Night  after  night  we 
remained  on  deck  until  nearly  the  close  of  the  first  watch, 
admiring  the  glory  of  the  heavens  spangled  with  stars, 
and  resplendent  with  the  constellations  of  our  northern 
hemisphere,  watching  them  each  night  sink  lower  and 
lower  in  the  northern  quarter,  while  in  the  south  new 
ones  took  their  places. 

Our  crew  were  quite  musical,  and  in  addition  to  fine 
voices,  a  number  of  them  were  possessed  of  several 
instruments,  including  a  violin,  flute,  an  accordion  and 
a  cornet,  their  owners  being  good  performers  on  each. 
The  second  dog-watch,  in  good  weather,  was  generally 
devoted  to  a  concert  forward,  both  vocal  and  instrumental, 
and  frequently  it  would  be  two  bells  (9  P.  M.)  before  they 
would  go  below.  Their  selections  were  good,  and  we 
thoroughly  enjoyed  their  music. 

My  wife,  to  whom  all  this  was  new,  was  in  love  with 
the  sea,  and  up  to  the  present  time  she  had  not  seen  a 
gale  or  experienced  any  rough  weather.  While  at  Bor- 
deaux I  had  the  opportunity  of  buying  a  fine  upright 
piano  at  a  very  low  figure.  Mrs.  Whidden  being  a  good 
performer,  I  thought  it  would  serve  to  while  away  many 
hours  that  otherwise  might  be  weary  for  her,  and  I  never 
regretted  the  purchase.  In  the  roomy  after,  or  ladies', 
cabin  there  was  ample  space  for  it,  and  it  made  our  quar- 
ters decidedly  homelike.  A  good  stock  of  sheet  music, 
in  addition  to  all  the  popular  airs  of  the  day,  with  her 
hymns  and  church  music,  completed  the  outfit.  The 
purchase  of  this  piano  was  a  good  investment  aside  from 
the  pleasure  derived  from  it,  as  will  be  seen  later. 

The  work  of  the  barque  went  smoothly  on,  the  crew 
being  most  efficient,  quick  to  obey  orders,  quiet  and 
respectful,  while  the  officers  were  all  that  could  be 


262  OCEAN    LIFE 

desired.  There  was  no  noise,  or  profanity,  but  a  firm, 
steady  course  of  discipline,  that  invariably  commanded 
respect.  Meanwhile,  we  were  rapidly  approaching  the 
equator. 


CHAPTER   XXV 
1867  -  1868 

FOUR  MONTHS  AT  FEVER  -  STRICKEN  BUENOS  AYRES. — • 
THREE  HUNDRED  SAIL  IN  PORT. THE  BOTANICAL  GAR- 
DENS OP  RIO  JANEIRO.  —  A  WEIRD  NIGHT  AT  BOTOFOGO 

CROSSING  the  parallel  of  6°  north,  the  wind  growing 
lighter,  we  finally  took  leave  of  the  northeast  trade  winds 
ere  we  had  made  a  further  degree  of  southing;  ending 
them  with  a  squall  of  wind  and  rain  accompanied  by 
heavy  thunder  and  vivid  lightning,  succeeded  by  calms 
and  sunshine  varied  by  squalls  of  wind  and  torrential 
rains  which  continued  for  nearly  a  week.  In  latitude 
1°  north,  we  caught  the  welcome  southeast  trades,  and, 
with  a  taut  bowline  crossed  the  line,  and  sighting  Fer- 
nando Norohna,  the  "  Keystone  "  ran  past  Pernambuco, 
Bahia  and  the  Abrolhos  Islands,  and  Cape  Frio,  and  as 
we  drew  south,  the  wind  gradually  hauled  to  the  westward 
by  the  northern  quarter.  Beautiful  weather  still  con- 
tinued, the  nights  glorious  with  the  constellations  of  the 
southern  heavens;  among  many  others  nightly  visible 
in  their  beauty  the  "  Magellan  clouds  "  and  "  Southern 
Cross." 

Moonlight  on  the  .water.  Can  anything  be  more 
beautiful  than  a  ship  on  the  water  at  night,  under  the  soft 
light  of  a  full  moon,  in  the  region  of  the  trade  winds? 
There  is  a  fine,  steady  breeze  filling  every  sail,  with  the 


264  OCEAN    LIFE 

canvas  asleep  and  showing  snow-white  in  its  beams, 
each  sail  and  spar  and  rope  standing  out  in  bold  relief, 
and  while  a  portion  of  the  ship  hidden  from  its  rays 
makes  of  the  whole  a  perfect  picture  of  lights  and  shadows, 
the  ship  glides  noiselessly  on;  no  sound,  save  the  striking 
of  the  bell  that  tells  the  passing  hours  of  the  night,  and 
an  occasional  order  from  the  officer  of  the  deck. 

Many  such  nights  we  remained  on  deck  till  past  the 
midnight  hour  when  the  scene  was  too  beautiful  for  us 
to  leave  and  go  below. 

"  Land  ho!  "  rang  out  on  the  morning  of  the  forty- 
eighth  day  from  Bordeaux,  and  Cape  St.  Mary,  the 
northern  cape  to  the  entrance  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata, 
could  in  a  short  time  be  plainly  seen  from  the  deck. 
Getting  chain  cables  up  and  anchors  on  the  bow,  we 
stood  in  for  Lobos  Island,  passed  it  and  dropping  anchor 
off  the  point  of  Montevideo,  set  a  signal  for  a  river 
pilot  to  take  us  up  the  river  to  Buenos  Ayres,  and  early 
next  morning  one  came  one  board,  bringing  a  quarter  of 
fresh  beef  and  some  vegetables,  which  were  very  accept- 
able after  our  voyage,  but  at  the  same  time  he  was  the 
bearer  of  news  not  of  a  cheerful  nature. 

Cholera  and  yellow  fever  were  raging  at  Buenos  Ayres, 
hundreds  dying  daily,  with  from  three  hundred  to  four 
hundred  vessels  in  port.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  get 
labor  or  lighters,  and  some  of  them  had  been  there  between 
two  and  three  months  before  breaking  bulk.  As  our 
cargo  was  one  that  could  only  go  in  the  Custom  House 
deposits,  the  outlook  for  getting  away  in  quick  time  was 
not  brilliant. 

For  myself  I  had  no  fear;  never  having  been  attacked 
by  epidemics,  I  considered  myself  immune,  but  I  trembled 
for  my  wife,  and  Helen's  death  from  cholera  in  Shanghai 
came  vividly  before  me,  but  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 


FEVER  -  STRICKEN    BUENOS    AYRES  265 

face  the  music.  I  did  not  let  her  know  my  fears,  but 
made  light  of  it  as  much  as  possible. 

We  anchored  in  the  outer  roadstead,  some  ten  miles 
from  the  city,  among  a  large  fleet  of  shipping,  but  so  far 
from  land  that  only  the  spires  of  the  city  churches  could 
be  seen  through  the  glass  from  the  barque's  deck,  and  it 
seemed,  except  for  the  turbid  water  and  the  adjacent 
shipping,  like  being  at  sea. 

When  I  went  ashore  to  see  my  consignees,  I  found  the 
chances  of  discharging  at  an  early  day  were  slight  indeed. 
I  also  learned  that  the  victims  of  cholera  were  largely 
among  the  natives  and  Italian  population,  no  American 
captains  or  their  families  having  been  taken  down.  Care 
in  diet  and  mode  of  living  seemed  to  have  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  the  preservation  of  health.  The  shipping  had 
been  very  free  from  cholera  or  fever,  so  far. 

I  engaged  rooms  and  board  at  my  old  quarters,  Mrs. 
Bradley's,  and  went  back  on  board  the  barque,  but  the 
next  morning  we  took  up  our  quarters  on  terra  firma. 
A  number  of  captains'  wives  were  guests  of  Mrs.  Bradley, 
who,  with  her  three  daughters,  made  the  house  very 
pleasant  and  homelike;  a  good  piano  with  the  girls' 
fine  voices  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  our  stay,  and 
a  jolly  company  of  captains  kept  all  thought  of  cholera 
and  yellow  fever  from  our  minds.  If  any  one  gave  it  a 
thought,  he  never  expressed  it.  There  was,  it  is  true, 
not  so  much  shopping  and  visiting,  or  riding  into  the 
country,  as  there  otherwise  would  have  been,  but  the 
ladies  were  not  confined  indoors,  our  house  having  two 
large  patios,  or  enclosures,  into  which  the  doors  of  each 
room  opened;  so  the  guests  only  had  to  step  from  their 
rooms  into  the  open  air  of  the  patio.  Occasional  visits 
on  shipboard,  for  a  few  days  or  a  week,  helped  to  break 
the  monotony. 


266  OCEAN    LIFE 

Sixty  days  passed  before  we  could  commence  the 
discharging  of  our  cargo,  and  it  was  four  months  from  our 
arrival  ere  the  last  cask  was  taken  on  shore,  it  having 
been  impossible  to  obtain  lighters.  All  our  lay  days  were 
used  up,  and  we  were  a  long  time  on  demurrage,  but  it 
was  not  enough  to  pay  for  the  delay. 

But  all  things  have  an  end,  and  with  thankful  hearts 
that  no  one  had  been  stricken  down  with  cholera  or  fever, 
we  hove  up  our  anchors  one  morning,  and  said  good-by 
to  Buenos  Ayres  with  no  regrets,  and  with  a  fair  wind 
took  our  departure  for  Rio  Janeiro  in  search  of  a  freight. 

Landing  our  pilot  at  Montevideo,  familiarly  called 
the  "  Mount,7'  the  "  Keystone  "  proceeded  to  sea,  and 
never  did  blue  water  and  ocean  breezes  seem  so  grateful 
as  after  our  four  months'  stay  in  fever-stricken  Buenos 
Ayres. 

Brisk  southerly  winds  soon  brought  us  in  sight  of  the 
high  land  at  the  entrance  to  Rio,  with  nothing  of  note 
having  occurred  after  leaving  the  Mount. 

Rio  Janeiro  was  familiar  to  me,  but  to  my  wife  scenery 
of  this  kind  was  a  new  experience.  The  peaks  of  the 
mountains  of  Gabia  and  Corcovada  and  Sugar  Loaf  Hill, 
forming  the  contour  of  an  immense  man  lying  on  his 
back,  was  a  wonder  to  her,  and  as  we  drew  in  with  the 
land,  passing  the  islands  of  Pai  and  Mai,  the  great  bay 
opening  before  us,  entering  the  narrow  passage  between 
the  high  bluff  on  the  right  where  the  guns  of  Fort  Santa 
Cruz  frowned  down  upon  us,  and  the  Sugar  Loaf  Hill 
with  its  high  conical  peak  on  the  left,  the  bright  sparkling 
waters  of  the  great  bay  extending  inland  sixteen  miles, 
dotted  with  beautiful  islands  and  covering  upwards  of 
fifty  square  miles  of  anchorage,  her  delight  was  un- 
bounded. 

As  we  sailed  on,  the  entrance  to  Botofogo  Bay,  extend- 


FEVER  -  STRICKEN    BUENOS    AYRES  267 

ing  inland  back  of  the  Sugar  Loaf,  and  Gloria  Hill,  with 
its  lovely  dwellings  and  white  church  where  the  Emperor 
Dom  Pedro  attended  divine  service  with  his  family,  the 
ranges  of  hills  and  mountains  in  the  background,  all 
clothed  in  luxuriant  tropical  foliage,  brought  forth  ex- 
clamations of  rapture,  appearing  to  her,  as  one  writer 
declares,  "  like  entering  the  gate  of  a  tropical  paradise." 

We  came  to  anchor  off  the  city  below  Cobras  Island, 
and  after  the  doctor's  visit,  obtained  permission  to  go 
ashore,  and  on  landing  I  met  my  old  broker,  Mr. 
Machado,  who  offered  me  a  charter  to  go  to  Bahia  to 
load  sugar  for  Liverpool,  England.  The  rate  was  fair, 
the  only  objection  being  in-  the  number  of  lay  days 
wanted  by  the  charterers,  but  after  dickering  awhile  I  got 
them  reduced  to  two-thirds  the  number,  when  I  accepted 
and  signed  the  charter-party. 

Our  stay  now  being  limited,  we  wished  to  take  in  all 
we  could  in  the  short  time  allotted  to  us. 

We  were  not  long  in  noting  that  different  streets  were 
devoted  to  each  line  of  goods;  for  instance,  in  the  Rue  de 
Ouvidor  (Gold  Street)  one  finds  no  class  of  goods  but 
jewelry,  so  it  was  not  hard  to  find  when  we  desired  to 
visit  the  jewelers'  establishments,  and  the  same  with 
those  of  the  dealers  in  millinery  and  dry  goods. 

After  a  short  season  of  shopping  and  admiring  the 
many  beautiful  things  to  be  seen,  we  drove  to  the  Botan- 
ical Gardens,  justly  famed  throughout  the  world,  a  lovely 
feature  of  these  gardens  being  a  magnificent  straight 
avenue  of  majestic  palms.  The  road  to  this  botanical 
park  is  a  continuous  garden  in  itself,  abounding  in  every 
variety  of  tropical  fruit,  and  flowers  of  rare  beauty  which 
greet  the  eye  on  every  side  and  fill  the  air  with  a  delicious 
fragrance.  Trees  of  every  description  are  here  seen  in 
all  their  beauty,  while  the  culture  of  the  tea  plant  is  an 


268  OCEAN    LIFE 

attraction.  One  could  remain  here  months,  and  then  not 
tire  of  the  beauty  of  these  gardens. 

Mount  Corcovada,  three  thousand  feet  in  height, 
towers  above  this  lovely  park;  its  copious  springs  of 
clear  water,  that  form  the  principal  supply  of  the  city, 
being  conveyed  to  the  numerous  reservoirs  and  fountains 
by  means  of  an  aqueduct  twelve  miles  long,  built  more 
than  a  century  ago,  which  crosses  a  valley  ninety  feet 
deep  on  two  great  tiers  of  arches. 

In  the  afternoon  we  drove  to  Botofogo,  a  summer 
resort  of  the  wealthy  class  during  the  heated  term,  who 
drive  out  from  the  city  each  afternoon  and  return  in 
the  morning  to  attend  to  business.  An  ideal  spot  is 
Botofogo.  Its  shores  form  a  beautiful  crescent-shaped 
bay  of  the  waters  that  flow  in  from  the  sea  back  of  the 
Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  pure,  bright,  and  sparkling  as 
crystal. 

Hard,  smooth  beaches,  with  light  yellow  sand,  afford 
incomparable  bathing  facilities,  and  around  this  bay  a 
smooth,  broad  road  stretches  away  for  miles,  making  a 
fine  driveway,  where  may  be  seen  every  afternoon,  as 
the  sun  sinks  behind  the  peaks  of  Gabia  and  Corcovada, 
the  elegant  equipages  of  the  elite  of  the  capital,  filled 
with  gay,  laughing  groups  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  out 
for  their  evening  drive.  The  rich  dresses  and  bright 
colors  of  the  ladies,  blending  with  the  plain  conven- 
tional black  of  their  male  companions,  make  a  pretty 
picture. 

Surrounding  the  bay  on  the  hillsides  stand  beautiful 
cottages,  the  summer  homes  of  Rio's  prosperous  citizens, 
while  interspersed,  rising  from  their  own  spacious  grounds 
amid  towering  palms,  stately  mangoes,  and  a  wealth  of 
flowers,  are  the  magnificent  hotels,  one  of  which  was  ths 
scene  of  a  ludicrous  incident,  heartily  laughed  at  after- 


FEVER  -  STRICKEN    BUENOS    AYRES  269 

wards,  but  at  the  time  fraught  with  terror  to  Mrs. 
Whidden. 

These  hotels  were  always  well  filled  with  guests  both 
transient  and  permanent. 

We  engaged  a  room  for  a  night  without  going  to  it, 
and  strolled  out  sightseeing. 

As  the  sun  sank,  the  short  twilight  deepened  into 
night,  the  stars  appeared,  lights  twinkled  from  the 
cottages,  the  evening  breeze  swept,  cool,  across  the 
bay,  while  soft,  delicious  music,  low  and  sweet,  from  the 
band  at  one  of  the  hotels,  was  wafted  to  our  ears,  inducing 
a  dreamy,  restful  feeling.  From  a  cottage  on  the  hill 
we  listened  to  sweet  voices  mingling  in  a  love  song, 
accompanied  by  the  music  of  harp  or  guitar.  Numerous 
pleasure  yachts  were  filled  with  a  gay  throng  enjoying 
an  evening  on  the  water;  their  songs  and  laughter  mingled 
with  strains  of  music  could  be  distinctly  heard,  borne 
on  the  evening  breeze.  From  behind  the  crest  of  Sugar 
Loaf  the  moon  appeared,  flooding  the  entire  bay  with 
a  sheen  of  silver,  completing  a  picture  of  exquisite  beauty. 

As  the  evening  waned  we  sought  our  hotel,  tired,  but 
having  passed  a  most  enjoyable  day,  and  after  partaking 
of  a  light  supper,  we  were  shown  to  our  apartment. 
The  sleeping-rooms,  containing  four-poster  beds  with 
enormous  canopies  overhead,  were  on  each  side  of  the 
entrance  to  a  large,  roomy  sitting-room  at  the  end  of  a 
long,  gloomy  hall  or  passage  at  the  rear  end  of  the  house, 
and  evidently  little  used.  Three  windows  in  the  sitting- 
room,  extending  nearly  to  the  floor  on  one  side,  looked  out 
upon  the  grounds.  Palms,  and  other  trees  came  close 
to  the  windows,  their  branches  brushing  the  screens 
as  they  waved  in  the  night  air.  A  massive,  round 
mahogany  table  occupied  the  centre  of  the  room,  above 
which  hung  the  gas  chandelier.  Dark  mahogany  and 


270  OCEAN    LIFE 

ebony  furniture,  with  an  uncarpeted  floor  nearly  black; 
and  highly  polished,  gave  to  the  surroundings  a  gloomy, 
sombre  appearance,  — which  was  not  improved  by 
lighting  up,  the  gas  being  so  poor  as  only  to  render  the 
darkness  more  visible,  —  and  an  uncanny  look  to  the 
room,  producing  a  most  depressing  effect,  equal  to  a 
nightmare,  on  the  feelings  of  a  nervous  person.  Although 
not  inclined  to  nervousness  myself,  my  wife  was,  to  the 
extreme.  A  slight  alarm  would  cause  her  to  jump  and 
scream,  while  voices  at  night,  unaccounted  for,  would 
keep  her  awake  imagining  things  until  she  had  worked 
herself  into  a  state  of  absolute  terror. 

With  nothing  to  read,  and  not  caring  to  attempt 
writing  in  the  poor  light,  we  sat  talking  of  what  we  had 
seen  during  the  day,  but  I  could  see  my  wife  took  little 
interest  in  the  conversation,  her  eye  wandering  to  the 
dark  recesses  of  the  room  and  starting  at  the  grazing  of 
the  screens  by  the  branches  of  the  trees,  until  finding  it 
was  becoming  irksome,  we  gave  it  up  and  retired. 

Being  very  tired,  I  quickly  dropped  into  a  doze,  but 
not  for  long.  I  felt  a  slight  shake  and  a  low  whisper  in 
my  ear: 

"  There's  some  one  in  the  room,  John.  Don't  you  hear 
them?  " 

Raising  my  head,  I  listened.  Yes.  In  a  moment  I 
heard  a  noise  as  of  some  one  moving  lightly  across  the 
floor.  The  fact  of  having  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
with  me,  which  I  had  been  too  late  to  deposit,  perhaps 
made  me  more  nervous.  Whispering  to  my  wife  to  keep 
quiet,  and  reaching  for  a  revolver  under  my  pillow,  I 
struck  a  light,  and  walked  softly  into  the  large  room. 
All  was  quiet.  No  appearance  of  any  intruder;  the  noise 
having  ceased  with  the  scratching  of  the  match.  Satisfy- 
ing myself  that  there  was  no  cause  for  alarm,  I  assured 


FEVER  -  STRICKEN    BUENOS    AYRES  271 

my  wife  that  her  fears  were  groundless,  and  sank  into  an 
uneasy  slumber,  only  to  be  awakened  by  a  pinch  and  a 
tremulous  whisper: 

"  There's  certainly  some  one  in  that  room,  John.  I 
can  hear  them  plainly." 

Again  I  listened.  Yes,  I  could  plainly  hear  some  one 
creeping  across  the  room,  and  a  rustling  noise  as  though 
the  windows  were  being  tampered  with,  —  which,  by  the 
way,  were  all  open. 

Again,  pistol  in  one  hand,  and  a  match  in  the  other, 
I  crept  to  the  chandelier  and  turned  on  the  light,  at  the 
same  time  glancing  keenly  around  the  room.  Still  there 
was  nothing  disturbed;  the  noise  had  ceased,  and  for 
this  I  could  not  account.  Examining  the  windows,  also 
the  other  sleeping-room  carefully,  and  finding  all  right, 
I  began  to  wonder,  although  not  a  believer  in  ghosts  or 
the  supernatural,  if  the  chamber  was  haunted.  Leaving 
the  gas  burning  at  my  wife's  suggestion,  I  lay  awake 
awhile,  and  hearing  nothing  further,  was  just  losing  myself, 
when  a  horrified  whisper  in  my  ear  brought  my  eyes  again 
wide  open. 

"  Look  overhead  at  the  canopy.    Isn't  it  much  lower?  " 

I  knew  this  was  the  echo  of  one  of  the  tales  of  child- 
hood's days  about  some  one  being  smothered  in  a  tavern 
by  having  the  canopy  lowered  upon  him  while  he  slept, 
but  seeing  my  poor  wife  was  almost  wild  with  nervous 
fright,  I  reasoned  with  her  that  there  was  no  occasion 
for  her  nervousness,  and  having  as  I  thought  calmed  her, 
dropped  again  into  slumber,  when  a  hand  was  placed  over 
my  mouth  and  a  hoarse  whisper  sounded  in  my  ear: 

"  Look  at  the  light.  It  is  being  lowered;  hear  the 
creeping!  " 

Yes,  it  was  so,  and  nearly  out.  I  dashed  into  the 
outer  room,  nearly  treading  on  a  huge  rat  that  scurried 


272  OCEAN    LIFE 

across  the  floor.  All  was  quiet,  and  lighting  a  candle 
and  looking  at  my  watch,  I  found  it  was  just  one  o'clock. 

Suddenly  the  whole  situation  dawned  upon  me.  There 
had  been  a  ministerial  dinner  at  the  hotel  that  night,  and 
everybody  was  up  very  late.  This  I  had  known,  but 
had  forgotten,  and  being  in  a  remote  part  of  the  house, 
had  heard  nothing  of  it.  The  gas  was  just  being  turned 
off  at  the  meter  for  the  night.  The  remains  of  our  luncheon 
on  the  table  was  an  attraction  for  the  rats  and  mice, 
while  the  noises  were  occasioned  by  their  scampering  over 
the  polished  floor.  I  explained  all,  and  laughed  it  off, 
or  tried  to,  but  the  tension  had  been  too  great;  no  more 
sleep  visited  her  eyes  and  she  arose  with  the  first  peep  of 
day. 

Coming  from  my  room  an  hour  later,  I  found  her  at 
the  window  drinking  in  the  pure  morning  air. 

The  room  presented  a  different  appearance  in  the 
morning  light  from  that  formed  in  the  darkness  by  her 
heated  imagination,  being  a  large,  cool  apartment  with 
a  most  beautiful  outlook. 

A  morning  stroll,  in  the  pure,  bracing  atmosphere  by 
the  bay,  after  our  coffee,  and  a  good  breakfast  at  the 
hotel,  served  to  dissipate  the  remembrance  of  the  previous 
night,  and  we  both  thoroughly  enjoyed  our  drive  back 
to  Rio. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

1868 

BAHIA.  —  OUR  LADY   OF   BOM   FIM.  —  DINNER  PARTIES   ON 
SHIPBOARD.  —  CAPE   CLEAR   LIGHT.  —  LIVERPOOL 

AFTER  clearing  at  the  Custom  House,  and  a  last  shop- 
ping tour,  we  said  good-by  to  our  broker  Machado,  who 
kindly  presented  my  wife,  as  a  souvenir  of  her  visit  to 
Rio,  a  fine  large  book  of  photographic  views  in  and  about 
the  city;  a  present  she  appreciated  very  highly,  and 
from  which  a  number  of  pictures  are  taken  to  illustrate 
this  volume. 

Early  the  following  morning  we  went  on  board  and 
took  our  departure  in  tow  of  a  tug.  Outside  the  islands 
sail  was  made,  fasts  cast  off,  and  we  were  on  our  way 
to  Bahia.  Sighting  the  light  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay, 
on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  out,  we  soon  let  go  the 
anchor  in  front  of  the  city.  The  harbor  looked  almost 
deserted,  there  were  so  few  sail  in  port,  viz.,  two  English 
ships,  three  barques,  an  American  brigantine,  six  or 
eight  coasting  schooners  and  two  steamers. 

Bahia,  the  second  city  in  size  in  Brazil,  has  a  population 
of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand.  The  harbor 
is  spacious,  the  bay  extending  inland  six  or  seven  miles. 
Its  industries  are  represented  by  several  manufactories 
and  a  shipyard.  Its  chief  exports  are  cotton,  tobacco, 
and  sugar.  It  is  divided  into  two  districts,  called  the 

273 


274  OCEAN    LIFE 

upper  and  the  lower  town.  The  upper  is  the  residential 
district,  from  which  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  shipping 
and  bay.  Here  is  located  the  beautiful  English  church 
and  cemetery,  the  latter  laid  out  with  great  taste  in 
spacious  avenues,  grand  trees,  almost  every  kind  of 
flowering  shrub,  and  a  wealth  of  flowers,  which  greet  the 
eye  at  every  turn.  The  residences  of  Bahia's  well-to-do 
citizens  are  marvels  of  comfort  and  elegance,  well  adapted 
to  the  climate,  which  is,  at  times,  very  hot.  The  streets 
leading  to  the  upper  town  are  very  steep  and  winding, 
and,  being  smooth  concrete,  are  very  difficult  to  climb  for 
those  not  accustomed  to  them,  but  the  natives  do  not 
seem  to  mind.  It  is  customary  to  ride  up  or  down,  or 
rather  to  be  carried  in  caderas  or  sedan-chairs,  borne  on 
the  shoulders  of  two  or  four  porters,  as  the  weight  may  be. 
It  is  certainly  a  much  more  comfortable  mode  of  transit, 
especially  for  ladies,  than  attempting  to  risk  a  tumble  by 
walking. 

The  lower  town  at  the  foot  of  the  high  hills  is  devoted 
to  the  business  interests. 

With  the  exception  of  a  visit  to  the  cozy  home  of 
Mr.  Rogers,  our  ship-chandler,  who  with  his  charming 
daughter  entertained  us,  we  stayed  on  board  ship  while 
in  port,  where  it  was  more  comfortable. 

On  shore  the  heat  was  excessive.  During  our  stay 
with  Mr.  Rogers,  our  host  and  I  daily  went  down  town 
to  attend  to  business,  while  my  wife  was  shown  all  the 
places  of  interest  in  the  upper  town,  including  drives  to 
the  English  cemetery  and  out  in  the  country,  —  the 
churches,  beautiful  residences,  parks,  etc. 

At  the  expiration  of  a  week,  we  bade  adieu  to  our  kind 
host  and  hostess,  extending  to  them  a  cordial  invitation 
to  dine  with  us  on  board  the  "  Keystone,"  — •  an  invitation 
which  was  as  heartily  accepted,  and  one  of  the  most 


BAHIA.  — OUR    LADY    OF    BOM   FIM  275 

pleasant  occasions  while  in  port  was  that  of  the  visit  to 
our  cozy  quarters  on  the  barque  of  Mr.  Rogers  and  his 
daughter. 

At  the  head  of  the  bay  stands  the  noted  church  of  Our 
Lady  of  Bom  Fim,  very  old,  and  held  in  great  veneration. 
It  was  said  to  be  a  perfect  museum  in  the  number  and 
diversity  of  the  offerings  that  had  been  made  to  Our 
Lady  on  account  of  miraculous  cures  from  all  sorts  of 
diseases,  wonderful  escapes  from  storms  and  shipwreck 
at  sea  and  dangers  of  every  kind,  all  attributed  to  the 
intercession  of  Our  Good  Lady  at  just  the  right  moment. 

Hearing  so  much  regarding  the  phenomenon  naturally 
increased  our  desire  to  become  further  acquainted  with 
it,  and  my  wife  and  another  lady,  the  wife  of  the  captain 
of  an  English  barque,  becoming  interested,  an  excursion 
was  planned  to  make  it  a  visit  by  water,  using  the  ship's 
boats,  which  were  provided  with  awnings  as  a  protection 
from  the  sun's  rays.  Anticipating  an  all  day's  stay,  we 
had  liberal  luncheons  put  up  for  a  party  of  seven  in 
addition  to  our  boats'  crews,  and  set  out  quite  early  to 
avoid  the  heat  as  much  as  possible,  with  two  boats, 
having  on  board:  Captain  Stone  of  the  English  barque, 
his  wife  and  two  children,  Captain  Hopkins  of  the  brig 
"  Trial,"  Mrs.  Whidden  and  myself. 

A  pull  of  six  miles  brought  us  to  a  shingly  beach 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  church,  which  stood  on  a 
point  of  land  which  afforded  a  fine  view  down  the  bay. 
We  walked  up  from  the  landing. 

At  the  entrance  an  old  monk  accosted  us,  and  on 
learning  our  errand,  called  another  to  escort  us  and  show 
us  over  the  church  and  all  contained  therein.  It  was 
not  a  pretentious  edifice,  being  very  plain  both  outside 
and  in,  although  substantially  built  of  stone.  A  monastery 
adjoined,  and  services  were  continually  going  on.  The 


276  OCEAN    LIFE 

most  interesting  thing  was  the  quaint  character  and 
number  of  the  offerings  presented  to  Our  Lady. 

Accompanying  each  gift  was  an  accurate,  written 
account  of  the  circumstances  and  conditions  attending 
it.  This  was  in  fulfillment  of  a  vow  made  at  the  time  of 
sickness  or  danger. 

In  addition  to  jewelry  of  all  kinds,  testifying  to  the 
gratitude  of  the  givers,  there  were  crutches  without 
number,  and  the  mainsail  of  a  brig.  The  account  stated 
that  it  belonged  to  a  vessel  that  in  a  great  storm  at  sea 
was  in  imminent  danger,  and  the  crew  made  a  solemn 
vow  to  dedicate  the  mainsail  of  the  brig  to  Our  Lady  of 
Bom  Fim,  if  she  would  intercede  and  save  them.  They 
were  saved,  and  on  their  arrival  in  port,  in  fulfillment 
of  their  vow  they  marched  in  solemn  procession  to  the 
church,  carrying  the  mainsail  with  them.  There  it  hung, 
conspicuous  among  the  many  other  offerings  of  every 
kind  and  description:  children's  toys,  clothing,  and 
playthings  from  mothers,  while  in  the  rightly  named 
"  Chamber  of  Horrors  "  were  models  of  limbs  in  every 
stage  of  different  diseases  that  "  flesh  is  heir  to,"  from 
those  who  had  been  cured,  with  a  full  account  of  the 
circumstances. 

The  monks  were  very  kind  and  courteous  in  showing 
and  explaining  to  us  everything  that  was  interesting, 
and  having  seen  all  we  cared  to  in  a  stay  of  between  two 
and  three  hours,  we  bade  them  adieu,  and  sitting  under 
the  shade  of  a  large  spreading  tree  at  some  little  distance 
from  the  church,  we  enjoyed  our  luncheon;  after  which 
we  took  up  our  march  to  the  boats,  and,  finding  the  men 
awaiting  our  coming,  embarked  on  our  return  trip. 

The  boats'  crews  leisurely  pulled  down  the  bay;  the 
cool  breeze  swept  across  the  water,  and  we  watched  the 
sun  sink  in  its  western  quarter,  and  saw  the  shadows 


RIO  DE  JANEIRO.      CATHEDRAL  AND   PALACE  SQUARE 


BAHIA.  — OUR    LADY    OF    BOM    FIM  277 

deepen  and  the  stars  appear,  ere  we  reached  home,  well 
pleased  with  our  outing  to  the  church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Bom  Fim. 

At  Bahia,  also,  there  was  great  delay  in  loading. 
Uncertain  whether  it  should  be  cotton  or  sugar,  my 
consignees  took  advantage  of  my  lay  days  to  obtain 
advices,  and  every  one  was  used  up  ere  our  lading  was 
completed,  and  I  congratulated  myself  that  I  had  insisted 
on  a  third  being  abated  from  the  charter-party.  As  it 
was,  there  was  no  use  fretting,  other  vessels  being  delayed 
in  like  manner,  and  we  tried  to  take  it  philosophically. 

In  the  circle  of  acquaintances  we  had  formed,  social 
gatherings  were  frequent,  and  dinner  parties  were  given 
by  one  and  another  captain  to  the  others  and  their  families. 
In  connection  with  one  of  these  a  very  funny  incident 
occurred  one  day  on  board  the  American  brig. 

Captain  Hopkins  —  whose  cabin  was  small,  though 
his  heart  was  as  large  as  any  one's  —  resolved,  not- 
withstanding his  limited  quarters,  to  give  a  dinner  party 
on  board  the  "  Trial,"  in  acknowledgment  of  his  numerous 
invitations. 

The  brig,  though  having  small  accommodations  below, 
had  ample  room  on  top  of  the  cabin,  the  deck  extending 
from  side  to  side,  with  railings  and  cockpit  aft,  into  which 
the  after-cabin  gangway  opened;  the  slide  of  said  com- 
panionway  being  level  with  the  housetop  on  deck.  On 
the  top  of  the  cabin,  under  the  awnings,  he  would  set  his 
tables,  with  ample  space  to  accommodate  all  his  guests. 

This  settled,  the  Captain  sent  out  his  invitations  and 
made  preparations  for  a  spread.  He  was  a  general 
favorite,  well  along  in  years,  being  upwards  of  sixty,  — • 
a  small  man,  having  a  quaint,  seamed,  whiskerless  face, 
hair — well,  here  was  the  captain's  trouble;  nothing 
so  annoyed  him  as  the  thought  of  baldness.  What  hair 


278  OCEAN    LIFE 

he  had  was  thin  and  of  a  grayish  color,  that  which  the 
Englishman  designated  as  "  mouldy."  He  had  used  all 
sorts  of  hair  tonics,  all  to  no  purpose,  but  was  now  on  a 
new  tack.  Some  one  had  told  him  kerosene  oil,  well 
rubbed  in,  was  the  best  thing  for  the  hair,  and  would 
cause  a  healthy  growth  when  everything  else  failed. 
He  had  firm  faith  in  this,  and  applied  it  liberally  several 
times  a  day,  going  around  with  his  head  glistening,  and 
an  odor  distilling  from  him  like  a  Pennsylvania  oil 
derrick. 

On  the  day  of  the  party,  his  guests  had  arrived  on 
board,  one  or  two  from  shore  in  addition  to  the  captains 
and  their  wives,  and  all  were  dispersed  under  the  awn- 
ings, enjoying  themselves,  and  awaiting  the  serving  of 
dinner. 

Captain  Hopkins  had  gone  below,  presumably  to  put 
a  few  finishing  touches  to  his  appearance,  and  brush 
up  his  locks  with  a  small  application  of  his  favorite 
kerosene.  As  he  was  alone  in  the  cabin,  no  one  knew 
just  how  it  happened,  but  suddenly,  every  one  was 
startled  by  a  yell,  and  the  next  instant  the  head  of  old 
Hopkins  appeared  above  the  companionway,  blazing 
like  a  giant  candle!  The  ladies  screamed,  while  one  or 
two  captains  caught  up  buckets,  and  dipping  up  salt  water 
over  the  brig's  side,  deluged  the  captain's  head,  extin- 
guishing him  in  a  moment,  but  leaving  him  as  bald  as 
an  egg,  although  beyond  a  few  blisters,  he  was  not 
seriously  hurt. 

Few  of  those  on  board  will  ever  forget  his  appearance 
as  he  emerged  from  the  cabin  resembling  an  animated 
torch. 

The  excitement  over,  Captain  Hopkins  made  light  of 
it,  although  it  came  near  making  light  of  him.  He  insisted 
on  dinner  being  served  as  arranged,  and  going  below, 


BAHIA.  — OUR    LADY    OF    BOM   FIM  279 

changed  his  apparel,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  he  did  not 
monkey  with  any  more  kerosene  experiments. 

The  occasion  was  a  pronounced  success,  and  a  more 
jolly  party  never  sat  down  together,  and  when  the 
dinner  was  over,  cigars  were  lighted,  while  the  ladies 
enjoyed  a  social  chat.  This  was  our  last  dinner  party, 
and  one  of  the  most  pleasant.  Captain  Hopkins  explained, 
in  answer  to  inquiries,  that  he  had  lit  a  lamp,  and  in  doing 
so  had  brought  the  lighted  match  in  contact,  some  way, 
with  his  head,  and  the  result  that  we  had  witnessed 
followed. 

A  few  days  after,  we  bade  adieu  to  our  many  friends, 
and  with  anchors  at  the  bow,  and  all  canvas  spread  to 
a  favoring  breeze,  we  sailed  from  the  harbor  of  Bahia, 
bound  for  Liverpool,  England. 

We  crossed  the  equator  and  sailed  through  the  trades, 
followed  by  a  spell  of  light  pleasant  weather  with  variable 
winds,  when  taking  a  fine  westerly,  which  carried  us  to 
Cape  Clear,  we  made  the  light,  a  welcome  sight,  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  entire  passage  having 
been  without  incident  of  note. 

Passing  Queenstown,  we  picked  up  a  pilot  off  Holy- 
head  the  following  morning  early. 

Sailing  craft  and  steamers  were  now  all  around  us, 
presenting  a  most  animated  appearance,  while  old  Holy- 
head  stood  out  boldly  in  the  morning  light.  Round  the 
Skerries  into  the  Irish  Sea  and  past  Point  Lynas,  we 
were  hailed  by  the  captain  of  a  towboat,  and  engaging 
him  after  some  dickering  as  to  his  charges,  to  tow  the 
"  Keystone  "  to  Liverpool  and  dock  her,  we  passed  the 
hawser,  and  were  soon  spinning  along  at  a  lively  clip, 
while  sails  were  clewed  up  and  furled  for  the  last  time 
this  voyage,  Jack  working  like  a  beaver,  for  Liverpool, 
his  earthly  paradise,  was  almost  within  touch. 


280  OCEAN    LIFE 

A  few  hours  more,  and  he  would  step  on  shore,  a  free 
man,  with  a  good  fat  roll  of  Bank  of  England  notes,  or 
golden  sovereigns  to  spend  in  having  a  good  time,  for 
nearly  fifteen  months'  pay  was  due  him,  and  with  that 
amount  in  his  pocket  in  Liverpool,  he  would  not  lack  for 
friends,  at  least  until  he  was  again  outward  bound. 

Coming  to  anchor  in  the  stream  to  wait  for  the  tide, 
all  was  made  ready  for  docking.  At  high  water,  our 
tugboat  took  us  in  tow,  and  entering  the  basin,  we  were 
warped  through  the  gates  into  the  Georges  Dock,  where 
the  "  Keystone  "  was  placed  in  berth  for  discharging  her 
cargo.  Engaging  the  stevedore,  Mr.  Robert  Lovegrove, 
and  consigning  the  barque  to  Messrs.  Wm.  Killey  &  Co., 
we  took  up  our  quarters  at  a  boarding-house  in  St.  Paul's 
Square,  where  two  or  three  American  captains,  with  their 
wives  and  families,  were  stopping.  This  we  considered 
more  pleasant  than  a  hotel.  Our  hostess,  Mrs.  Love- 
grove,  the  wife  of  our  stevedore,  was  a  most  charming 
woman,  bright  and  sunny  in  disposition,  doing  everything 
for  the  comfort  of  her  guests,  and  with  pleasant  rooms, 
a  cozy  parlor  and  dining-room,  a  good  table,  and  genial 
company,  there  was  nothing  left  to  be  desired,  and  we 
settled  down  for  a  pleasant  stay  of  a  month  or  six  weeks, 
for  there  were  no  freights  in  the  market  for  a  home  port. 

After  telling  Messrs.  Killey  &  Co.  to  look  out  for  a 
charter  for  the  barque,  there  was  nothing  to  do  except 
to  wait. 

The  time  having  expired  that  my  crew  shipped  for, 
the  American  consul  obliged  me  to  pay  them  off,  which 
involved  three  months'  extra  pay  per  man.  It  being  in 
a  foreign  port,  added  about  a  thousand  dollars  to  my  pay- 
roll. The  men  were  not  desirous  of  being  paid  off  until 
we  arrived  home,  but  the  consul  insisted,  and  I  could  only 
comply.  Nearly  all  reshipped.  The  first  officer  leaving  to 


BAHIA.  — OUR    LADY    OF    BOM    FIM   281 

get  married,  the  second  officer,  Mr.  Lovett,  remained  by 
the  barque,  taking  his  place.  The  cook  and  steward  also 
reshipped  for  the  next  voyage,  when  we  were  again 
ready  for  sea. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

1868  -  1869 

LIVERPOOL.  —  SPURGEON  AND  MYRTLE  STREET  CHAPEL.  — 
AN  IRISH  JAUNTING  -  CAR.  —  CAPTAINS*    WIVES   AT   SEA 

> 

OUR  stay  in  Liverpool  was  very  pleasant,  taking  in 
all  the  places  of  interest.  Across  the  River  Mersey  is 
Birkenhead,  in  Wales,  with  its  beautiful  park,  which  well 
repaid  us  for  a  visit. 

A  most  delightful  drive  on  a  pleasant  day  was  to  Chid- 
well  Abbey,  some  twenty  miles  distant  from  Liverpool, 
taking  in  the  old  town  of  Hale,  where  a  visit  to  the  old 
churchyard  was  found  very  interesting.  Among  the 
graves,  covered  by  a  slab  of  stone,  we  read  a  very  curious 
inscription.  It  began  with,  "  Here  lies  John  the  Child  of 
Hale,  who  was  nine  feet  eight  inches  tall."  Then  followed 
his  dimensions,  of  limbs,  also  stating  that  he  was  a 
publican,  that  is,  he  kept  a  public  house  or  tavern  in 
the  town,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years.  My 
wife  took  off  the  inscription  verbatim,  but  it  has  been, 
unfortunately,  lost. 

All  the  drives  around  Liverpool  into  the  country  we 
found  most  charming,  and  the  ladies  were  always  planning 
some  excursion,  accompanied  by  our  hostess,  who  entered 
into  all  their  plans.  Her  servants  were  competent  and 
reliable,  so  that  she  could  do  this  without  neglecting  her 
household  duties,  and  having  a  knowledge  of  the  most 

282 


LIVERPOOL  283 

interesting  places,  she  was  invaluable  to  her  guests.  Two 
or  three  evenings  at  concerts  and  the  opera  about  covered 
the  extent  of  our  evening  dissipation.  The  ladies,  being 
fine  musicians  and  possessed  of  good  voices,  could  furnish 
such  delightful  music  for  impromptu  concerts,  the  games 
and  entertaining  callers,  of  whom  we  had  many,  assisted 
so  materially  in  making  the  cozy  parlors  attractive, 
that  no  one  seemed  desirous  of  going  outside  the  house 
for  amusement. 

One  evening,  having  had  tickets  of  admission  sent 
us,  we  went  to  the  Myrtle  Street  Chapel,  Rev.  Hugh 
Stowell  Brown,  pastor,  to  hear  the  Rev.  Charles  H. 
Spurgeon,  who  preached  a  sermon  in  aid  of  the  school 
then  being  built  for  his  boys.  As  well  as  my  wife,  I  had 
a  great  desire  to  hear  the  world-renowned  preacher. 
We  went  early  and  obtained  fine  seats  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  pulpit.  The  church  was  crowded  to  excess, 
and  uncomfortable  from  lack  of  ventilation,  but  I  would 
not  have  missed  the  opportunity. 

When  Mr.  Spurgeon  entered  the  pulpit  I  felt  rather 
disappointed.  To  me  he  did  not  have  a  clerical  appear- 
ance. He  was  short  and  thick  set,  had  a  large,  full  face, 
and  looked  the  typical,  jolly  Englishman.  He  glanced 
around  the  audience  a  moment,  then  commenced 
speaking,  taking  the  unbelieving  Thomas  as  his  text, 
and  after  a  few  words,  all  thought  of  the  clergyman's 
appearance  had  vanished.  You  recognized  the  fact  that 
you  were  listening  to  the  utterances  of  a  master  mind 
pleading  the  Master's  cause.  What  impassioned  language, 
driving  home  truths  straight  to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers! 
How  the  audience  hung  upon  his  words,  as  he  drew  a 
picture  of  the  youth  growing  up  without  care  or  a  home, 
constantly  subjected  to  evil  communications  and  sin, 
and  asked  all  to  come  forward  and  aid  in  rescuing  him 


284  OCEAN    LIFE 

from  moral  degradation,  and  by  placing  him  under  good 
influences  and  teaching,  to  help  prepare  him  for  an  upright 
Christian  life,  and  to  become  a  useful  member  of  society! 

He  spoke  for  over  an  hour,  but  there  was  rapt  attention, 
not  the  least  sign  of  weariness. 

Throughout  the  sermon  I  personally  comprehended 
the  magnetism  of  the  man.  I  have  heard  him  many  times 
since,  but  he  has  never  impressed  me  more  than  when  I 
listened  to  him  at  the  Myrtle  Street  Chapel. 

The  "  Keystone  "  having  finished  discharging,  Messrs. 
Wm.  Killey  &  Co.  offered  me  a  round  charter  to  take  a 
cargo  of  salt  out  to  Chittagong,  British  Burmah,  situated 
at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  with  a  return  cargo  of 
rice  from  Akyab  to  Falmouth  for  orders,  telling  me  they 
considered  it  the  best  charter  offered,  and  one  that  they 
had  taken  for  one  of  their  own  ships  lying  at  Bombay, 
and  she  would  have  to  wait  throe  months  for  it.  As  the 
rates  were  very  good,  I  thought  best  to  accept  it,  and 
taking  in  our  outward  salt  cargo,  we  were  very  quickly 
again  ready  for  sea. 

As  I  was  going  aboard  one  day  at  the  docks,  a  fellow 
having  two  dogs  to  sell  accosted  me  alongside  the  barque, 
and  importuned  me  to  buy.  One  was  a  full-blooded 
Newfoundland,  but  a  mere  puppy,  playful  as  a  kitten, 
the  other  was  a  retriever,  also  very  small,  both  thorough- 
breds. 

Striking  a  bargain,  I  had  them  placed  on  board,  telling 
the  second  mate  to  have  the  carpenter  knock  up  a  house 
for  them  and  to  feed  them  daily,  and  soon  Jube  and 
Pincher,  as  they  were  named,  became  great  favorites 
on  board,  both  fore  and  aft. 

Stores  having  been  taken  on,  and  new  crew  shipped, 
including  nearly  all  my  old  hands,  good-bys  were  said  to 
all  our  friends,  and  we  again  embarked. 


LIVERPOOL  285 

Hauling  into  the  basin,  with  towboat  ahead,  we  shot 
through  the  pier  heads  into  the  Mersey,  the  crowd  on  the 
pier  to  see  us  off  giving  a  ringing  cheer,  which  was  heartily 
responded  to  by  our  men,  and  soon  old  Liverpool  was 
again  over  our  taffrail. 

We  passed  the  Rock  Light,  N.  W.  Lightship,  Point 
Lynas,  and  had  reached  Holyhead  ere  the  hawser  was 
cast  off,  and  our  shore  connection,  with  the  leaving  of 
our  pilot,  was  severed. 

The  illustration  shows  the  ship  "  Importer,"  Captain 
George  T.  Avery,  passing  Rock  Light,  bound  in.  She 
registered  1,400  tons,  was  built  at  Newburyport,  Mass., 
especially  for  the  Calcutta  trade,  and  made  many  profit- 
able voyages,  paying  for  herself  in  less  than  four  years. 
She  was  in  later  years  sold  to  the  Germans,  and,  altered 
to  a  barque  rig,  sailed  under  the  German  flag. 

Being  up  with  Tuskar  Light,  the  following  afternoon, 
the  weather  looking  very  threatening,  with  a  rapidly 
falling  barometer,  we  bore  up  and  ran  into  Waterford 
Harbor,  coming  to  anchor  between  Passage  and  Bally- 
hack.  Before  midnight  it  was  blowing  a  tremendous 
gale,  and  I  congratulated  myself  that  we  were  in  a  good, 
safe  harbor,  with  our  anchors  down,  for  outside  we  would 
have  been  obliged  to  heave  to,  and  would  probably  have 
drifted  or  have  been  driven  out  of  the  North  Channel, 
as  the  gale  lasted  without  any  abatement  for  nearly  a 
week,  to  say  nothing  of  the  dangers  of  collision.  So 
many  vessels  congregated  together  in  a  very  limited 
space  were  more  to  be  feared  in  blowing,  thick  weather, 
than  anything  else  in  the  St.  George's  or  the  English 
Channel. 

Going  on  shore  at  Passage  the  next  day,  and  climbing 
the  hill  that  affords  a  fine  view  seaward,  we  could  see, 
with  the  glass,  numerous  ships,  barques,  and  brigs,  all 


286  OCEAN    LIFE 

under  a  mere  rag  of  canvas,  and  buffeting  the  big  seas, 
evidently  making  hard  weather  of  it.  The  sky  overhead 
was  bright  and  clear,  but  the  force  of  the  wind  was 
terrific. 

We  also  improved  the  opportunity  of  visiting  Water- 
ford,  and  landing  at  Ballyhack  with  our  own  boat,  and 
taking  the  steamer  for  the  city,  we  arrived  inside  an 
hour's  time. 

After  a  good  dinner  at  the  hotel,  I  engaged  an  Irish 
jaunting-car,  in  which  to  ride  around  to  see  the  city 
generally.  This  was  a  novel  experience  to  my  wife  as 
well  as  myself.  The  passengers  sit  back  to  back,  with 
their  legs  hanging  over  the  sides  of  the  vehicle,  and  until 
you  get  accustomed  to  it,  there  is  a  feeling  as  if  you  were 
going  to  fall  oft7  over  the  wheels,  especially  when  rounding 
a  corner  at  a  high  rate  of  speed;  every  one  holding  on 
for  dear  life,  for  these  Irish  Jehus  do  not  spare  the  horse, 
being  bound  to  give  you  your  money's  worth.  After  a 
while  the  pace  becomes  exhilarating,  and  you  do  not 
mind  his  driving.  We  certainly  thoroughly  enjoyed  it. 

Waterford  is  a  thriving  Irish  city,  prettily  laid  out, 
with  many  fine  public  buildings  and  private  residences, 
good  roads,  and  a  population  of  upwards  of  twenty  thou- 
sand. The  country  around  produces  great  quantities  of 
butter  and  cheese,  so  that  Waterford  has  a  large  export 
trade  of  dairy  products. 

Sunday  morning  at  daylight,  with  beautiful  weather 
and  a  fair  wind,  our  anchor  was  hove  up,  all  sail  made, 
and  bidding  adieu  to  old  Ireland,  we  passed  out  into  St. 
George's  Channel. 

Fortune  now  seemed  to  favor  us.  The  wind  continued 
fresh  and  fair,  sometimes  increasing  to  double-reef  gales, 
until  we  crossed  the  parallel  of  30°  north,  and  again 
greeted  our  old  friends,  the  trade  winds. 


LIVERPOOL  287 

About  this  time,  my  wife  expressed  a  wish  to  learn 
navigation.  She  had  always  taken  the  time  from  the 
chronometer  for  my  morning  sights,  and  was  much 
interested  in  the  day's  work,  and  pricking  off  the  barque's 
position  on  the  chart  daily.  She  had  always  kept  her 
private  journal,  noting  down  each  day's  special  events 
as  they  occurred,  descriptions  of  all  places  visited,  persons 
that  she  met  and  their  characteristics.  At  the  time  of 
writing  these  pages,  it  would  have  been  specially  valuable 
as  a  book  of  reference,  had  it  not  been  unfortunately 
mislaid  or  lost. 

Taking  hold  of  the  study  of  navigation  in  good  earnest, 
she  became  quite  proficient.  She  could  take  a  sight  and 
work  it  out  as  well  as  myself,  and  find  the  position  on 
the  chart  without  assistance.  All  this  kept  her  mind 
employed,  and  with  sewing,  embroidery,  fancy-work, 
reading  and  music,  her  time  was  well  taken  up,  and  she 
had  very  few  idle  moments. 

This  was  the  most  enjoyable  period  of  my  sea  experi- 
ence. 

Again  we  had  the  glorious  nights  on  deck,  as  the 
"  Keystone  "  sailed  silently  on  under  the  soft  rays  of 
a  tropical  moon.  All  my  old  musicians  had  reshipped, 
and  again  in  the  evenings  the  strains  of  music,  with  song, 
came  to  our  ears  from  forward. 

The  work  of  the  ship  went  daily  on,  without  friction. 
Mr.  Lovett,  former  second  officer,  proved  himself  as 
efficient  a  first  officer  as  Mr.  Nelson,  my  former  mate. 

Let  me  here  say  a  word  as  to  the  advisability  of  a 
captain  taking  his  wife  to  sea  with  him. 

A  captain's  position  on  shipboard  at  sea  is  a  peculiar 
one.  He  is  something  like  the  mainspring  of  a  watch. 
If  that  is  all  right,  the  works  will  do  their  duty,  and  all 
is  well,  but  let  the  mainspring  break,  or  anything  happen 


288  OCEAN    LIFE 

to  it,  and  everything  goes  wrong,  or  stops.  So  the  captain, 
as  the  mainspring,  in  order  to  keep  perfect  discipline, 
which  is  so  essential , to  a  well-regulated  ship,  must  first 
discipline  himself.  He  is  thrown  on  his  own  resources. 
All  on  board,  except  himself,  have  companions;  the  crew 
have  each  other  to  talk  with  and  confide  their  feelings  to; 
the  cook  and  steward  fraternize;  the  first  and  second 
officers  can  confer,  or  even  talk  amicably  together, 
although  in  this  case,  the  first  officer,  if  he  knows  his 
business,  will  preserve  the  line  between  the  dignity  of 
his  position  and  undue  familiarity,  that  in  some  instances 
is  apt  to  be  taken  advantage  of  by  the  second.  The 
captain,  if  he  has  no  companion,  stands  alone,  isolated, 
in  a  certain  measure,  from  all  on  board.  The  old  saying, 
"  Familiarity  breeds  contempt,"  was  never  more  truly 
applied  than  to  these  conditions  on  shipboard,  and  the 
master,  no  matter  how  socially  inclined,  although  he 
may  converse  with  his  first  officer  on  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  ship,  and  even  unbend  and  talk  about  side  affairs, 
yet  he  must  never  forget  his  dignity  or  the  claims  of  his 
position  in  any  way  that  might  be  misinterpreted  or 
taken  advantage  of;  not  that  all  officers  would  preserve 
the  stiffness  of  demeanor,  but  to  avoid  trouble  or  un- 
pleasantness, it  is  always  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side. 

So,  I  believe,  if  the  captain  is  married,  and  his  wife 
is  in  good  health,  enjoys  travel,  and  is  not  afraid  of  the 
water,  it  were  better  she  should  accompany  her  husband 
on  his  voyages  as  one  to  whom  he  can  always  turn  for 
companionship  and  confidences  at  sea. 

Woman's  influence  on  shipboard,  if  she  is  a  true,  good 
woman,  is  felt  for  good  throughout  the  ship.  She  has  a 
refining  influence,  and  the  sailors  guard  their  words  and 
actions  more  in  her  presence,  for  no  sailor,  old  or  young, 
would  pain  her  by  thought  or  deed.  How  often  have  I 


LIVERPOOL  289 

seen  Jack's  face  brighten  up,  when  "  the  old  woman  " 
spoke  a  few  pleasant,  kindly  words  to  him!  No  matter 
how  young  the  captain  and  his  wife  may  be,  they  are 
always  to  the  sailors  on  shipboard  "  the  old  man  "  and 
"  the  old  woman."  It  is  a  habit  they  have,  with  no 
desire  to  be  flippant  or  disrespectful. 

The  remark  that  I  have  heard  so  often,  that  a  ship  is 
no  place  for  a  woman,  seems  to  my  mind  misapplied; 
if  she  loves  the  sea,  and  can  have  comfortable  accommoda- 
tions, I  can  see  no  reason  why  she  should  not  accompany 
her  husband  on  his  voyages,  and  there  is  certainly  no 
place  where  more  respect  and  courtesy  will  be  shown 
her  than  on  shipboard.  This  is  my  judgment,  and  I 
believe  many  others  will  testify  to  the  same  experience. 

Through  the  southeast  trade  belt,  we  are  now  bowling 
along,  with  fresh  gales  and  bright  sunshine,  making 
good  time  towards  the  meridian  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Shoals  of  porpoises  are  daily  seen,  frisking  and  gambolling 
in  the  waves,  playing  leap-frog  with  each  other,  tumbling 
around  the  barque's  bows  as  she  drives  the  white  foam 
far  on  either  side,  and  one  of  their  number  often  falls  a 
victim  to  Jack's  love  for  porpoise  steak,  fried  liver  or 
forcemeat  balls.  The  porpoise  is  fine  eating,  and  a  good 
cook  can  get  up  most  savory  dishes,  for  both  the  cabin 
and  forecastle. 

Our  feathered  friends,  the  Cape  pigeons  and  stormy 
petrels,  begin  to  make  their  appearance,  and  as  we  draw 
into  a  higher  latitude,  an  occasional  albatross  is  seen 
hovering  around,  sailing  in  graceful  curves  about  our 
quarter,  ready  to  pounce  upon  anything  in  the  food  line 
thrown  overboard  by  the  cook.  It  is  most  interesting 
to  watch  them. 

The  weather  has  changed  to  cooler.  No  more  star- 
gazing and  lingering  on  deck  of  nights.  Our  music  is 


290  OCEAN    LITE 

the  whistling  of  the  wind  through  the  shrouds  and  rigging, 
although  from  our  cozy  after  cabin,  if  not  too  rough,  are 
heard  the  notes  of  Mrs.  Whidden's  piano,  as  they  float 
up  the  companionway  to  mingle  with  the  gale. 

So  we  sail,  day  after  day,  occasionally  sighting  a 
vessel  which  we  have  overhauled,  or  being  passed  by  some 
ship  or  barque  whose  sailing  qualities  are  superior  to  our 
own. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
1869 

CHITTAGONG  AND  AKYAB.  —  AGAIN  THE  BURNING  GHAUTS. 
—  INTENSE  HEAT  DAY  AND  NIGHT.  —  REDUCING  TEM- 
PERATURE. —  FROM  AKYAB  TO  FALMOUTH,  ENGLAND 

WE  are  past  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  now  for  the 
long  stretch  of  five  thousand  miles  ere  we  shall  turn  to 
the  north' ard,  and  again  breathe  a  warmer  atmosphere, 
under  a  summer  sky.  The  "  Keystone  "  is  now  running 
down  her  easting  in  the  "  roaring  forties,"  with  strong 
gales  bowling  her  along,  part  of  the  time  under  lower 
topsails  in  the  furious  squalls,  which  are  accompanied 
with  snow  or  driving,  cutting  hail,  that  causes  one  to 
turn  his  back  to  them,  when  the  rattle  against  his  stiff 
oilskins  and  sou'wester  sounds  like  a  discharge  of  small 
shot  against  some  metallic  substance. 

The  squall  over,  upper  topsails  are  again  mastheaded, 
with  men  standing  by  the  halliards,  ready  to  let  go  and 
clew  down  on  the  next  order. 

A  big  sea  rolls  after,  the  sun  breaks  forth  and  lights 
up  the  surges  as  they  roll  past,  and  perhaps  in  ten 
minutes : 

"  Let  go  the  topsail  halliards!  Clew  down!  "  comes 
the  order. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir/'  and  the  yards  rattle  down,  as  another 
squall  bursts  upon  us,  with  a  sky  as  black  as  night. 

291 


292  OCEAN    LIFE 

Oh,  this,  indeed,  is  glorious  sailing!  It  is  so  pleasant 
to  find  at  noon  that  you  have  covered  from  six  to  eight 
degrees  of  easting,  for  in  this  latitude  the  miles  to  the 
degree  of  longitude  are  much  shorter  than  at  the  equator, 
and  it  is  most  satisfactory  to  see  the  long  line  covered 
on  the  chart,  and  reckon,  at  that  rate,  how  many  more 
days  or  weeks  ere  you  can  bear  away  for  a  warmer  clime 
and  more  genial  temperature,  and  it  comes  at  last.  We 
are  nearing  the  equator,  and  eighty-five  days  from  the 
Sabbath  morning  we  sailed  from  Waterford  Harbor, 
the  "  Keystone  "  crosses  the  line  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 

Up  to  this  time  our  passage  had  been  good,  but  now  we 
encountered  a  succession  of  calms  and  light,  baffling  airs, 
that  was  exasperating,  being  the  last  of  the  northeast 
monsoon,  and  it  was  thirty-five  days  more,  ere  we  let 
go  our  anchor  at  midnight  off  the  mouth  of  the  Cawnpore 
River,  on  which  lies  the  port  of  Chittagong. 

The  land  about  the  river's  mouth  is  very  low,  so  that 
nothing  could  be  seen,  although  the  night  was  clear. 
The  water  was  very  shoal:  from  six  to  eight  fathoms. 
We  had  run  through  a  number  of  fishing  stakes,  but  had 
seen  no  boats,  and  judging  ourselves  about  off  the  bar, 
let  go  our  anchor  to  wait  for  daylight. 

Jube  and  Pincher,  our  dogs,  who  had  now  grown  to 
good  size,  scented  the  land,  and  were  highly  excited. 

I  was  a  stranger  to  the  port,  and  knowing  nothing  of 
the  pilot  service  here,  I  ordered  a  few  rockets  and  blue 
lights  brought  up  from  below,  thinking  I  might  be  able 
to  attract  a  pilot  on  board. 

An  empty  beef  barrel,  containing  a  couple  of  pails  of 
water,  having  been  brought  on  top  of  the  cabin,  a  rocket 
was  placed  therein,  so  that  when  the  fuse  was  ignited 
the  train  of  sparks  would  go  into  the  water.  In  the 
meantime  the  dogs  were  very  inquisitive,  following  me 


CHITTAGONG    AND    AKYAB  293 

around  and  nosing  everything  I  touched.  Placing  a 
rocket  in  the  barrel,  I  ordered  Mr.  Lovett  to  hand  me  a 
lighted  roll  of  paper  from  the  binnacle.  As  I  applied  it 
to  the  fuse,  both  dogs,  one  on  each  side,  placed  their 
forepaws  against  the  sides  of  the  barrel,  with  their  noses 
within  six  inches  of  the  fuse  and  directly  under  it,  evi- 
dently wondering  in  their  minds,  what  on  earth  I  was 
trying  to  do.  In  less  than  thirty  seconds,  the  fuse  ignited, 
and  a  stream  of  fire  rained  down  on  the  noses  of  two  of 
the  most  astonished  dogs  that  were  ever  seen,  while  the 
rocket  shot  skyward. 

A  simultaneous  howl,  and  Pincher  made  a  dive  from 
the  forward  part  of  the  house  to  the  main  deck,  while 
Jube  went  over  the  after  part,  and  neither  took  any 
more  interest  in  the  display  of  fireworks. 

Having  expended  a  few  rockets,  and  a  couple  of  blue 
lights,  we  awaited  results,  and  instituted  a  search  for 
the  dogs,  which  were  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Finally,  Pincher 
was  discovered  crouched  in  the  eyes  of  the  hawse-pipe 
under  the  to'gallant  foVsle,  scared  and  trembling.  He 
was  pulled  out  by  one  of  the  men,  but  all  search  for 
Jube  was  fruitless,  and  I  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  had  not  stopped  after  passing  the  break  of  the 
house,  but  had  kept  right  on  over  the  taffrail,  and  had 
found  his  end  in  the  maw  of  some  shark. 

The  night  being  fine,  I  retired  for  a  short  time,  and 
dropping  into  a  slumber,  I  was  awakened  by  a  whisper 
from  my  wife,  that  she  could  hear  some  one  breathing, 
and  listening,  I  could  hear  a  sort  of  muffled  sound.  Pro- 
curing a  light,  I  discovered  Jube  squeezed  under  the 
couch  as  far  as  he  could  get,  sound  asleep.  From  the 
housetop  he  had  gone  down  the  companionway,  and 
through  my  after  cabin  into  the  stateroom,  where  he 
lay  while  all  the  search  was  going  on,  finally  falling 


294  OCEAN    LIFE 

asleep  and  betraying  his  presence  by  his  snoring.  Routing 
him  out,  I  turned  him  on  deck,  but  he  avoided  the  house- 
top and  crept  off  forward. 

Early  in  the  morning  a  native  pilot  boarded  us,  bringing 
off  fruit,  and  a  quantity  of  fresh  beef,  which  was  hung 
up  to  the  mainstay  for  the  cook's  convenience.  Jack, 
in  his  kindness  of  heart,  cut  off  large  quantities  and  fed 
to  the  dogs,  and  they  eagerly  devoured  the  unaccustomed 
food,  which,  combined  with  the  heat  and  excitement,  set 
them  into  convulsions,  from  which  Jube  died  just  as  we 
were  crossing  the  bar,  while  Pincher  barely  recovered. 
Poor  Jube!  He  was  truly  mourned  by  all,  fore  and  aft. 
He  was  my  wife's  favorite,  and  she  missed  him  greatly. 
Pincher,  his  playmate,  also  seemed  to  mourn  for  him, 
and  was  so  disconsolate,  going  around  the  ship,  looking 
into  every  nook  and  corner,  that  I  finally  gave  him  to 
a  young  Englishman,  a  clerk  in  the  counting-house  of 
the  consignee,  who  had  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  him. 
Knowing  he  would  be  well  treated,  I  let  him  go. 

Working  up  the  river,  the  wind  being  ahead,  the  "  Key- 
stone "  was  anchored  off  the  town,  dressed  in  all  her 
bunting,  having  the  honor  of  carrying  the  American  flag 
on  a  merchant  ship  up  the  Cawnpore  River  to  Chittagong 
for  the  first  time. 

Several  vessels  of  different  nationalities  lay  at  anchor; 
among  them  an  English  barque.  The  weather  was 
intensely  hot,  and  exposing  the  men  to  the  midday  sun 
was  out  of  the  question,  consequently,  all  the  ship's 
work  was  done  in  the  early  morning  hours,  or  late  in  the 
afternoon;  all  work  on  the  cargo,  caulking  barque's 
bends,  and  whatever  else  was  necessary,  being  done  by 
coolies. 

The  house  of  our  consignee  was  large  and  roomy, 
built  with  regard  to  the  climate.  There  were  not  many 


CAPTAIN   GEORGE  T.  AVERY 


CHITTAGONG    AND    AKYAB  295 

frame  buildings,  but  there  was  a  very  pretty  church, 
built  in  a  grove,  that  we  attended  one  Sabbath  morning, 
and  listened  to  a  very  interesting  discourse  by  an  English 
missionary.  There  are  several  English,  French  and 
German  mercantile  houses,  and  considerable  trade  is 
carried  on  with  the  Mauritius  or  Isle  of  France. 

Very  little  shore  visiting  was  indulged  in  while  there, 
the  heat  was  so  intense.  It  was  much  more  comfortable 
on  shipboard,  and  we  remained  afloat  under  double 
awnings,  with  hammocks  swung  beneath.  Meanwhile 
our  salt  cargo  was  discharged  and  ballast  taken  in. 

A  few  days  before  sailing,  a  long  river  steamer,  bound 
from  Calcutta  to  Rangoon,  put  into  the  river  in  distress, 
having  met  with  an  accident.  One  of  her  passengers  had 
about  five  hundred  head  of  sheep  on  board,  that  he  was 
taking  to  Rangoon  on  speculation,  sheep  commanding 
a  high  price  at  any  of  the  rice  ports. 

As  the  steamer  would  be  a  long  time  there,  and  having 
no  market,  he  came  on  board  and  asked  me  to  buy  them, 
finally  offering  them  to  me  at  a  rupee  and  a  half  a  head, 
throwing  in  the  feed.  At  this  price  I  could  see  no  risk, 
and  bought  the  lot,  putting  them  between  decks  and 
penning  them  in.  A  rupee  is  silver  coin,  value  fifty  cents. 

Sailing  from  Chittagong,  we  dropped  anchor  at  Akyab 
the  third  day  after,  and  a  native  trader  coming  on  board, 
I  closed  a  bargain  for  all  the  sheep  at  seven  rupees  a 
head,  putting  them  ashore  at  once.  At  this  rate  the  sheep 
were  a  pretty  good  investment. 

Calling  upon  my  consignees,  I  found  our  cargo  was 
ready  for  shipment,  and  the  hold  was  at  once  put  in 
readiness  for  taking  in  the  rice. 

The  land  surrounding  this  port,  lying  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  like  all  this  part  of  the  coast,  is 
low,  and  the  atmosphere  was  intensely  hot,  the  northeast 


296  OCEAN    LIFE 

monsoon  being  about  finished,  while  the  southwest  had 
not  yet  set  in.  We  were,  so  to  speak,  "  between  hay  and 
grass." 

We  lay  in  Akyab,  taking  in  our  rice  cargo,  and  for 
four  weeks  the  thermometer  ranged  from  125°  to  130° 
in  the  shade.  It  was  almost  a  dead  heat,  with  very  little 
breeze  stirring,  except  for  a  short  time  night  and  morning. 

The  cholera  was  raging  among  the  native  population, 
and  the  burning  ghauts,  consuming  the  bodies  but  a 
short  distance  from  and  in  plain  sight  of  the  barque, 
were  in  full  blast.  The  smoke,  when  wafted  towards  us 
with  the  faint  air  in  the  right  direction,  was  so  offensive 
that  we  were  twice  obliged  to  change  our  berth,  but  with 
no  shore  leave  the  men  all  continued  in  good  health. 

Mr.  Whiting,  our  ship-chandler,  who  had  the  entire 
trade  of  the  port,  or  nearly  so,  had  arrived  recently  from 
England  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  succeeded  to  the 
business  of  his  uncle.  There  were  three  English  captains 
in  port,  two  of  them  having  their  families  with  them, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whiting  invited  them,  with  Mrs.  Whidden 
and  myself,  to  take  dinner  with  them  at  their  bungalow. 

On  the  day  named  we  went  ashore,  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  rode  to  their  house,  some  little  distance  out. 
It  was  built  on  piles,  or  posts,  about  four  feet  above  the 
earth.  This  was  necessary,  as  in  the  wet  season  poisonous 
snakes  and  other  vermin  creep  into  the  houses,  and  could 
do  so  more  readily  if  they  were  not  raised  from  the  ground. 

We  were  received  by  our  hostess,  who  took  charge  of 
my  wife,  the  others  not  having  arrived,  while  I  remained 
on  the  broad  veranda  that  encircled  the  bungalow,  to 
enjoy  a  cigar.  Here  were  hammocks  and  reclining  chairs 
in  profusion,  with  punkas  (swinging  fans  hung  from  the 
ceiling)  everywhere.  The  building  was  but  one  story  in 
height,  but  covered  a  large  amount  of  space.  On  one 


, 


CHITTAGONG    AND    AKYAB  297 

side  doors  opened  into  Mrs.  Whiting's  apartments,  while 
on  the  opposite  were  a  number  of  apartments  with  doors 
opening  on  to  the  veranda.  Hanging  around  the 
house,  and  sitting  about  the  grounds  and  veranda,  was 
a  numerous  retinue  of  servants,  so  indispensable  to  an 
East  Indian  household. 

The  other  guests  having  arrived,  dinner  was  served 
at  seven,  —  a  typical  East  Indian  spread,  comprising 
soups  and  curries,  roasts,  salads  and  fruit,  wines  and 
coffee.  The  dinner  was  heartily  enjoyed  despite  the 
heat,  as  the  punkas  were  kept  steadily  going  over  the 
dining-tables  and  throughout  the  great  room,  keeping  a 
current  of  air  in  circulation  that  abated  the  heat  and 
made  it  very  pleasant. 

Just  as  we  arose  from  table,  a  squall  that  had  been 
gathering  burst  upon  us,  accompanied  by  the  most  vivid 
lightning,  with  deafening  peals  of  thunder.  Taking  the 
ladies  to  her  rooms,  our  hostess  called  to  her  husband 
that  she  would  show  them  her  pretty  things,  while  he, 
with  his  guests,  smoked  on  the  veranda. 

Sitting  on  the  lee  side,  we  smoked  and  chatted,  waiting 
for  the  squall  to  pass  over,  but  instead  of  that,  it  settled 
into  a  fresh  gale,  necessitating  our  remaining  on  shore 
overnight. 

Arrangements  were  soon  made  for  the  ladies  to  occupy 
the  apartments  of  our  hostess  with  her,  while  all  the 
gentlemen  remained  by  themselves  in  the  rooms  opening 
on  the  veranda. 

Retiring  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock,  we  passed  a 
rather  restless  night,  for  the  native  servants  were  con- 
stantly moving  stealthily  about  the  veranda,  and  arose 
early.  The  weather  had  cleared,  and  being  a  little  cooler 
after  the  storm,  was  more  endurable.  We  partook  with 
Mr.  Whiting  of  "  chota-hazree  "  (little  breakfast)  and 


298  OCEAN    LIFE 

drove  in  town,  leaving  the  ladies,  who  were  not  yet  visible, 
to  follow  and  meet  us  at  the  "  godowns  "  or  stores. 

Shortly  after,  Mrs.  Whidden  having  arrived  with  the 
ladies,  we  went  on  board  the  barque  at  once,  before  the 
sun  got  high.  When  we  were  alone  she  told  me  she  had 
passed  a  sleepless  night,  for  great  lizards  were  crawling 
over  the  walls.  Mrs.  Whiting  had  told  her  that  the  lizards 
were  harmless,  that  snakes  were  most  to  be  feared,  and 
some  of  the  most  venomous  she  had  preserved  in  a  jar, 
which  she  had  exhibited  and  said  they  were  captured  in 
her  own  room  during  the  wet  season.  It  was  always 
necessary,  she  said,  to  give  your  boots  or  shoes  a  shake 
before  putting  them  on  in  the  morning,  for  they  would  be 
likely  to  contain  a  centipede  or  scorpion. 

"  I  never  was  so  glad  to  see  morning,"  my  wife  said, 
as  she  closed  the  review  of  the  night;  "  I  would  not  live 
there  for  a  million  a  year!  " 

A  cyclone  of  the  previous  year  having  ruined  every 
piano  in  Akyab,  Mr.  Whiting  was  anxious  to  buy  mine 
for  his  wife,  and  offered  me  three  times  the  amount  paid 
for  it  in  Bordeaux,  over  two  years  before,  and  my  wife 
saying  that,  as  we  were  bound  home,  it  did  not  matter, 
I  reluctantly  parted  with  it. 

A  few  days  more  and  our  last  bag  of  rice  or  "  paddy  " 
(rice  with  the  husk  on  is  called  "  paddy  ")  was  taken  in, 
all  business  was  closed,  and  we  were  to  sail  in  the  morning, 
only  too  anxious  to  get  to  sea. 

Sleeping  at  night,  owing  to  the  intense  heat,  had  for 
awhile  been  almost  impossible,  but  I  at  last  hit  on  a 
plan  that  lowered  my  temperature. 

I  had  a  bucket  of  salt  water  placed  on  each  side  of  my 
hammock,  and  immersing  my  lower  extremities  nearly 
to  the  knee,  one  in  each  bucket,  I  lay  back  and  slept  like 
an  infant. 


CHITTAGONG    AND    AKYAB  299 

All  being  in  readiness,  we  awaited  Mr.  Locke,  the  pilot, 
and  about  six  A.  M.  we  saw  his  boat  coming  off.  As  soon 
as  he  came  on  deck,  before  he  had  time  to  tell  us,  I  was 
sure  by  his  appearance  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  bad 
news. 

Our  hostess,  Mrs.  Whiting,  had  been  taken  with  cholera 
the  past  night,  had  died  before  twelve  o'clock,  and  was 
already  buried.  It  was  a  terrible  shock,  and  I  was  only 
too  thankful  we  were  outward  bound. 

Getting  under  way  with  a  light  breeze,  we  passed  out 
to  sea,  and  discharging  our  pilot,  with  a  message  of 
sympathy  for  Mr.  Whiting,  the  "  Keystone  "  was  pointed 
down  the  bay. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 
1869  -  1870 

THE    ISLE    OF    ST.    HELENA.  LONGWOOD    AND    THE   TOMB 

OP       NAPOLEON.  FALMOUTH,       ENGLAND.  ANTWEKP, 

BELGIUM 

As  we  drew  off  from  the  land,  the  breeze  became  a 
little  fresher,  and  being  well  to  the  westward,  we  were 
enabled  to  lay  our  course  clear  of  the  Andaman  and 
Nicobar  Island,  and  passing  Ceylon  were  soon  in  the  belt 
of  the  S.  E.  trades,  and  with  every  inch  of  canvas  spread, 
were  rapidly  speeding  across  the  Indian  Ocean,  homeward 
bound. 

Once  again  our  delightful  trades  bear  us  towards  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  as  we  inhale  the  draughts  of 
pure  air,  our  thoughts  go  back  to  Akyab  with  its  broiling 
heat  and  pestilence-laden  atmosphere,  and  I  wonder  how 
anybody  escaped  being  stricken  down.  I  am  satisfied 
that  only  the  great  care  exercised  with  the  men  in  port 
kept  them  in  good  health. 

Day  after  day  the  same  steady  breeze,  sometimes 
varying  a  little  in  strength,  but  no  calms  or  light  airs 
to  vex  one.  Jack,  as  usual,  is  well  stocked  up  with  pets, 
mostly  from  Chittagong,  consisting  of  several  fine  monkeys 
and  lots  of  the  feathered  tribe. 

Mrs.  Whidden  had  been  presented  by  our  stevedore 
with  a  large  white  cockatoo,  having  a  bright  yellow 

300 


THE    ISLE    OF    ST.    HELENA          301 

tuft  or  crest,  which  lay  down  along  its  neck  from  the  crown 
of  its  head;  a  handsome  bird,  but  wild.  On  the  approach 
of  any  one  it  would  ruffle  up,  and  throw  this  crest  forward, 
assuming  an  angry  appearance,  opening  its  beak,  which 
was  hawked  and  a  most  formidable  weapon.  The  taming 
of  the  bird  seemed  to  be  an  impossibility.  He  could  not 
bear  confinement,  and  would  tear  his  bamboo  cage  to 
pieces  when  angry,  but  would  sit  all  day  on  a  line  stretched 
across  the  deck  just  forward  of  the  cabin,  confining  himself 
at  first  to  those  limits. 

My  wife,  after  many  attempts  to  make  friends  with  him, 
all  to  no  purpose,  finally  gave  him  up  as  a  most  unsocial 
bird. 

One  morning,  during  the  forenoon  watch,  Snip,  as  he 
was  called,  took  a  notion  to  go  aloft.  This  he  had  never 
attempted  before.  Edging  along  until  he  reached  the 
royal  backstay,  he  grasped  it  and  mounted  aloft  with 
all  the  ease  in  the  world,  and  stepping  from  the  backstay 
to  the  royal  yard,  sat  there  the  picture  of  contentment. 
He  had  been  aloft  an  hour  or  so,  when  Mr.  Nicholas 
Petite,  the  second  mate,  coming  on  deck,  spied  him,  and 
seeing  me  coming  from  the  cabin,  he  stepped  forward, 
saying: 

"  Mrs.  Whidden's  bird  has  gone  on  the  royal  yard, 
sir." 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,"  I  replied;  "  when  he  gets  ready 
he'll  come  down." 

"  Sha'n't  I  go  up  and  bring  him  down,  sir?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  no,  it's  not  necessary,  and  more  than  likely  he'd 
bite  you  if  you  touched  him." 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,"  he  said,  "  he  would  not  bite  me!  Don't 
you  think,  sir,  I'd  better  go?  He  may  get  overboard." 

Seeing  he  was  very  anxious  to  go,  I  said,  "  All  right, 
go  if  you  wish  to,  but  take  good  care  you  don't  touch 


302  OCEAN    LIFE 

him  with  your  bare  hand,"  and  after  seeing  Mr. 
Petite  start  aloft  with  a  short  stick  in  his  hand  for 
Snip  to  step  on,  I  turned  and  went  below,  and  was  just 
on  the  point  of  coming  up  again,  when  I  heard  a  great 
squawking,  and  emerged  from  the  companionway  just 
in  time  to  see  Mr.  Petite  jump  from  the  rail  and  slap  Snip 
angrily  to  the  deck,  his  hand  covered  with  blood,  which 
was  running  freely. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Mr.  Petite,  has  he  bitten  you?  " 
I  inquired. 

"  It's  nothing,  sir,"  he  replied  with  a  sickly  smile. 

"  Come  here,  sir,  and  let  me  look  at  it,"  I  insisted, 
and  finding  it  was  a  serious  and  most  vicious  bite  through 
the  fleshy  part  of  the  hand,  between  the  thumb  and  fore- 
finger, I  dressed  it  with  Fryer's  Balsam  and  arnica,  and 
bound  it  up,  Mr.  Petite  all  the  time  protesting  that  it 
was  nothing,  but  the  mate,  Mr.  Lovett,  told  me  after- 
wards, that  when  I  went  below  for  the  balsam,  Mr.  Petite 
walked  up  to  Snip  and,  shaking  his  fist  at  him,  hissed 
something  uncomplimentary  between  his  teeth. 

It  seems,  that  after  getting  to  the  royal  yard,  he  held 
out  his  stick,  which  Snip  alighted  on,  and  Mr.  Petite 
started  to  descend.  In  getting  over  the  futtock-shrouds 
of  the  main  top  the  stick  came  in  contact  with  the  crane- 
line,  and  grabbing  it,  Snip  started  again  for  the  backstay 
to  go  aloft,  when,  Mr.  Petite  being  fearful  he  was  going 
to  lose  him,  forgot  himself,  and  made  a  grab  at  him 
with  his  bare  hand,  with  the  result  described. 

Snip  went  aloft  many  times  after  that,  but  Mr.  Petite 
was  never  anxious  to  go  up  and  bring  him  down. 

We  sailed  past  Madagascar,  and  nearing  the  Cape,  the 
trades  were  gone,  but  the  wind  held  steady  in  the  eastern 
quarter,  and  we  were  in  hopes  it  would  carry  us  round. 

One  morning  the  cry  of  "  Land,  ho!  "  came  from  aloft, 


THE    ISLE    OF    ST.    HELENA          303 

and  the  high  land  between  Cape  Elizabeth  and  Cape 
Agulhas  was  dimly  seen,  and  still  farther  on  Cape  Agulhas, 
the  extreme  tip  of  the  great  African  continent  came  into 
view.  Keeping  the  land  well  aboard,  to  take  advantage 
of  the  current,  which  inshore  sets  past  the  Cape  strong 
to  the  westward,  we  held  our  way,  but  later  our  wind 
died  out,  followed  by  a  calm  of  short  duration,  when 
breezing  up  from  west-nor'west  and  increasing,  sail  was 
reduced  until  midnight  found  the  "  Keystone  "  under 
lower  topsails,  heading  to  the  south'ard  with  a  stiff  gale 
blowing  and  a  high  sea.  We  did  not  complain,  however, 
for  it  had  been  fine  so  long,  with  smooth  sailing,  that  this 
rather  broke  up  the  monotony,  and  shook  everything 
up  a  little. 

The  following  day,  the  wind  hauling  to  S.  S.  W.  gave 
us  a  slant  of  which  we  were  not  long  in  taking  advantage, 
and  in  twenty-four  hours  more  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
was  astern,  and  we  were  in  the  south  Atlantic  again, 
heading  for  St.  Helena  with  a  rattling  breeze,  the  "  Key- 
stone "  shortening  the  distance  rapidly.  I  intended  to 
stop  there  and  fill  water,  as  our  stock  was  getting  low, 
having  had  no  rain  since  leaving  Akyab. 

Ten  days  after  passing  the  Cape,  with  the  break  of 
day  "  Land,  ho!  "  again  sounded  through  the  ship,  and 
the  famous  island  of  St.  Helena  was  before  us,  rising  from 
the  waves  like  a  great  rock,  which  it  is,  nothing  more  nor 
less. 

Getting  anchors  ready  and  chains  on  deck,  we  skirted 
the  shore  until,  rounding  the  point,  we  came  in  full  view 
of  Jamestown  Harbor  or  Roads,  and  running  close  in, 
we  let  go  our  anchor  in  twelve  fathoms. 

A  number  of  foreign  vessels  lay  at  anchor,  among 
them  an  English  man-o'-war.  Ordering  the  water-boat 
alongside,  and  instructing  Mr.  Lovett  that  we  would  leave 


304  OCEAN    LIFE 

that  night,  I  went  on  shore  with  my  wife,  to  pay  our 
respects  to  our  consul,  and  visit  Longwood  and  Napoleon's 
tomb. 

We  had  a  pleasant  call  on  our  country's  representative, 
and  then  took  a  carriage  and  drove  —  9ver  a  good  road 
all  the  way,  with  a  fine  outlook  —  to  the  home,  or  prison, 
of  the  great  general. 

On  arrival,  we  were  given  permission  to  look  over  the 
building  and  grounds,  an  old  French  soldier  pointing  out 
and  explaining  everything  to  us. 

Since  England  handed  Longwood  over  to  the  care  of 
the  French  government,  everything  is  kept  with  the 
utmost  neatness,  and  as  near  the  conditions  that  existed 
at  the  time  Napoleon  occupied  it  as  possible.  Previous 
to  that  we  were  told  it  had  been  very  much  neglected, 
but  be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  then  in  the  most  perfect 
condition. 

His  favorite  walk  and  garden,  and,  in  short,  everything 
pertaining  to  the  great  soldier,  came  under  our  inspection. 
Every  attention  and  courtesy  was  shown  us,  and  on 
leaving,  we  found,  to  our  surprise,  that  a  gratuity  or 
"  tip,"  for  services,  was  declined  with  thanks.  The 
same  custom  prevailed  at  the  tomb,  which  we  visited 
after  taking  leave  of  Longwood.  There,  ki  a  dell,  enclosed 
within  an  iron  railing,  with  weeping- willows  bending  over 
it,  is  still  preserved  the  tomb  where  for  years  rested  the 
remains  of  the  world's  greatest  general;  now  reposing 
beneath  the  gilded  dome  of  the  Invalides,  according  to 
the  wish  expressed  in  his  will  dictated  on  this  island: 
"  I  desire  that  my  ashes  may  repose  on  the  banks  of  the 
Seine,  among  that  French  people  I  so  dearly  loved." 

We  stood  there,  in  silence,  beneath  the  willows  that 
grew  above  his  untenanted  grave,  the  setting  sun  tingeing 
the  clouds  with  the  glory  of  the  departing  day,  —  the 


THE    ISLE'    OF    ST.    HELENA          305 

one  hundredth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  August  15,  1869, — 
and  as  the  shadows  deepened,  our  consciousness  of  the 
present  was  lost  in  thought  which  harmonized  with  the 
poet's  lines: 

"Oh!    Shade  of  the  Mighty!    Where  now  are  thy  legions? 

That  rushed  but  to  conquer,  when  thou  led'st  them  on. 
Alas!    They  have  fallen,  in  far  distant  regions, 

And  all  but  the  name  of  their  conquests  are  gone. 
The  lightnings  may  flash,  and  the  loud  cannon  rattle, 

They  stir  not!    They  heed  not!     They're  free  from  all  pain! 
They  sleep  their  last  sleep,  they  have  fought  their  last  battle, 

No  sound  can  awake  them  to  glory  again." 

Bidding  good-by,  and  shaking  the  hand  of  the  old 
soldier  on  guard,  we  entered  our  carriage,  and  were  driven 
rapidly  to  Jamestown,  where  we  found  our  boat  awaiting 
us.  Embarking,  we  were  pulled  on  board,  when,  all  being 
in  readiness,  the  anchor  was  tripped,  sail  made,  and  we 
were  speedily  again  on  our  way  from  St.  Helena,  having 
made  a  most  pleasant  break  in  our  homeward  voyage. 

Before  leaving  the  barque  the  day  we  went  to  Long- 
wood,  I  had  told  a  darkey  boy  to  procure  three  or  four 
cats  and  take  them  on  board,  and  the  mate,  who  had  my 
instructions  regarding  the  business,  would  give  him  half 
a  crown  apiece.  There  were  a  great  many  rats  on  board, 
and  in  case  of  damage  to  the  rice  cargo,  I  believed  that 
the  fact  of  my  having  cats  on  board,  would  clear  the 
insurance  all  right. 

Mr.  Lovett  now  informed  me  that  the  boy  had  brought 
on  board  three  cats,  two  wild,  and  one  tame,  and  they 
had  all  taken  refuge  in  the  hold.  That  they  were  playing 
havoc  with  the  rats  we  knew  by  the  noise  at  night,  — • 
the  squealing  of  the  rodents  and  the  scampering  through 
the  lazarette,  distinctly  heard  in  the  after  cabin,  in  the 
still  watches  of  the  night.  After  awhile  the  tame  one 


306  OCEAN    LIFE 

formed  the  habit  of  coming  into  the  cabin,  being  en- 
couraged by  the  steward,  who,  secretly,  as  he  knew  I  did 
not  want  him  there,  would  take  him  into  the  pantry  and 
feed  him. 

One  night,  some  ten  days  after  leaving  St.  Helena, 
he  roused  the  sleepers  in  the  after  cabin  by  a  wild,  weird, 
discordant  yell,  and  the  steward's  pet  was  found  perched 
upon  a  trunk  with  his  back  arched  at  something  —  we 
did  not  stop  to  find  out  what,  but  took  measures  to 
effectually  silence  his  music. 

Past  Ascension  Island,  our  trades  carried  us  across  the 
line,  when  light,  variable  winds,  with  rain  squalls, 
succeeded,  and  for  nearly  a  week  our  progress  was  slow, 
but  once  through  this  belt  of  calms,  we  caught  the  N.  E. 
trades  in  a  squall,  and  from  that  time  forward  we  made 
fair  time  north,  the  wind  not  being  overstrong  at  any  time. 

Almost  daily  now  we  passed  through  great  beds  of 
gulfweed,  sometimes  extending  for  miles,  and  very  thick. 
Mrs.  Whidden  amused  herself  by  fishing  up  large  quanti- 
ties and  shaking  it  over  a  tub  of  water. 

Fishes  —  some  of  them  an  inch  long  —  and  Crustacea 
(shell-fish)  of  every  shape  and  kind  were  found,  many 
so  singular  that  we  tried  to  preserve  them,  but  having 
no  alcohol,  were  unable  to  do  so. 

So  far,  we  had  seen  but  few  sails,  speaking  none, 
although  we  had  exchanged  signals  with  two  off  the 
Cape.  The  "  Keystone "  now  underwent  the  usual 
routine  work  of  tarring,  scraping  and  painting,  prepara- 
tory to  entering  port  after  a  long  voyage,  until  the  barque 
fairly  shone.  All  hands,  fore  and  aft,  were  now  looking 
anxiously  forward  to  the  termination  of  the  voyage,  and 
each  Sunday  Jack  could  be  seen  overhauling  his  ward- 
robe, brushing  and  mending  it,  and  examining  the 
treasures  he  had  laid  in  abroad  for  presents  to  his  friends, 


THE    ISLE    OF    ST.    HELENA          307 

and  I  am  afraid  many  who  were  not  friends,  although  he 
thought  they  were,  —  but  this  did  not  detract  from  his 
kindness  of  heart. 

"  Light,  ho!  Two  points  on  the  port  bow,  sir,"  came 
from  the  topsail  yard  in  cheery  tones,  about  six  bells  in 
the  first  watch,  and  in  a  short  time,  the  Scilly  Lights 
could  be  plainly  seen  from  the  deck.  The  night  was  fine 
and  clear,  and  passing  the  Scillys,  towards  morning  we 
made  the  Lizard,  rounding  which,  and  taking  on  board 
a  pilot,  the  barque  dropped  anchor  in  Falmouth  Harbor  — 
once  more  in  the  waters  of  old  England. 

On  shore  I  found  orders  awaiting  me  to  proceed  to 
Antwerp.  Making  inquiries  as  to  a  pilot,  I  was  told  I 
would  get  one  off  the  Foreland,  or  Ostend,  and  leaving 
Falmouth  about  dusk,  the  wind  blowing  a  brisk  gale, 
we  fairly  flew  up  the  Channel,  passing  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  were  under  the  forelands  before  daylight.  It  was 
still  blowing  very  strong,  and  seeing  nothing  in  the  shape 
of  a  pilot,  we  kept  her  travelling  across  the  North  Sea, 
making  sure  of  picking  one  up  off  Ostend.  But  no  such 
luck.  No  boats  were  out.  As  we  drew  in  with  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Scheldt,  there  was  no  sign  of  any  pilot.  The 
sand-bars,  which  extend  out  a  long  distance,  are  well 
buoyed  out  and  show  the  channels  and  fairway,  and  as 
long  as  daylight  lasts  and  one  can  see,  it  is  comparatively 
easy  to  avoid  danger.  In  a  dark  night  and  blowing  a 
gale,  it  becomes  a  ticklish  spot  without  a  pilot,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it  now.  We  kept  her  going  until  darkness 
made  it  impossible  to  see  the  buoys,  and  the  water  being 
quite  shoal,  we  clewed  up  everything  and  rounded  to, 
letting  go  the  anchor,  which  held  all  right,  for  it  was 
evidently  good  holding  ground. 

I  sent  up  a  rocket  and  burned  a  couple  of  blue  lights 
in  hopes  of  attracting  the  notice  of  a  pilot. 


308  OCEAN    LIFE 

I  was  hailed  by  a  passing  steamer,  bound  in,  to  know 
if  I  wanted  anything. 

"  Yes/'  I  replied,  "  a  pilot." 

"  All  right!    I'll  report  you  and  send  one  out!  " 

In  the  meantime  the  night  wore  on,  daylight  appeared, 
and  still  no  pilot.  Getting  under  way  we  ran  into  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  where  a  river  pilot  boarded  us.  He 
asked  for  the  pilot  who  took  us  in,  and  being  told  we  came 
in  without  one,  he  expressed  surprise,  saying  that  it  had 
been  blowing  so  hard  for  a  few  days  that  no  one  had  gone 
out,  not  expecting  any  vessel  would  run  in  until  it 
moderated. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  city,  we  hauled  into  our  berth 
for  discharging,  and  took  up  our  quarters  at  a  hotel,  for 
the  barque  had  changed  hands  during  my  absence,  and 
I  now  only  awaited  the  discharging  of  our  rice  to  turn  her 
over,  and  after  a  short  period  of  sightseeing,  take  the 
steamer  for  New  York.  I  had  now  been  absent  thirty- 
four  months  —  nearly  three  years  —  and  I  had  about 
decided  to  give  up  the  sea  as  a  profession.  Since  the  close 
of  the  war,  the  carrying  trade  had  gone  from  bad  to  worse, 
and  there  was  no  money  in  it. 


CHAPTER   XXX 
1870 

THE     DECADENCE     OF     THE     SAILING     SHIPS.  — THE     WAR 
TARIFF.  —  AMERICAN  SHIPPING   UNDER   FOREIGN   FLAGS. 

THE  AMERICAN  MARINE  THE  SCHOOL  OF  RESERVE  FOR 

THE     NAVY.  — FAREWELL     TO     THE     "KEYSTONE"    AT 
ANTWERP 

IT  cost  so  much  to  sail  an  American  ship,  that  it  was 
simply  impossible  to  compete  with  foreign  shipping  in 
the  freighting  business.  An  English,  German,  or  French 
ship  could  charter  and  make  money  at  rates  that  would 
run  an  American  in  debt.  Why  should  that  be  so?  The 
reason  is  obvious.  From  1850  to  1860,  the  United  States 
had  as  fine  a  merchant  marine  as  ever  floated.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  the  consequent  rush 
to  that  country,  called  for  forwarding  facilities,  for  pro- 
visions, and  merchandise  of  every  description,  to  be 
delivered  in  the  shortest  possible  time,  and  without  so 
much  regard  to  rate  of  freight.  There  was  then  no 
Panama  Railroad,  or  Union  Pacific  Railroad  built,  and 
transportation  by  wagons  or  mules  across  the  plains  of 
immense  quantities  of  merchandise,  was  too  slow,  expen- 
sive, and  hazardous.  There  was  no  route  but  those  via 
Cape  Horn  or  Straits  of  Magellan.  The  old-style  sailing 
ships,  big  carriers,  with  their  bluff  bows  and  square 
sterns,  were  altogether  too  slow. 

309 


310  OCEAN    LIFE 

The  emergency  called  for  a  class  of  ships  whose  carry- 
ing capacity  was  sacrificed  to  speed,  the  high  rates  of 
freight  more  than  compensating  for  loss  of  cargo.  As 
a  result,  the  most  magnificent  class  of  clippers  that  ever 
swam  the  ocean  were  called  into  existence,  challenging 
the  admiration  of  the  maritime  world. 

From  '49  to  '60,  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War,  these  beautiful  vessels  were  turned  out  from  our 
numerous  shipyards,  each  increasing  in  tonnage  and  speed, 
and  built  on  the  most  graceful  lines.  They  resembled 
yachts  rather  than  freighters,  and  sat  the  waters  "  a 
thing  of  beauty." 

With  fanciful  names,  they  formed  a  class  by  themselves, 
their  speed  in  transit  being  attested  by  such  of  their 
number  as  the  "  Flying  Cloud,"  "  Lightning/'  "  Sur- 
prise," "  Dreadnaught,"  "  Eagle  Wing,"  "  Gray  Eagle," 
"  Trade  Wind,"  and  scores  of  others  equally  famous, 
which  could  truly  be  designated  as  "  ocean  flyers." 

The  routes  of  these  ships  were  generally  from  an  Atlantic 
port  to  San  Francisco,  thence  to  China  or  India  in  ballast, 
and  either  loading  teas  for  homeward  trip  to  the  United 
States  or  England,  or  perhaps  taking  a  freight  in  Calcutta 
for  New  York  or  Boston,  or  coolies  from  Macao  to  Havana, 
the  latter  a  very  lucrative  trade,  and  one  in  which  these 
clippers  were  much  in  demand.  During  this  time,  freight- 
ing was  good,  and  shipping  paid  handsomely. 

Then  came  the  building  of  the  Panama  Railroad,  and 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  day  of  the  clipper 
in  the  California  trade,  with  its  high  rates  of  freight, 
was  virtually  over.  Still,  in  foreign  ports,  with  a  freight 
in  the  market,  in  competition  with  shipping  of  other 
nations,  such  was  their  prestige,  they  always  obtained 
the  preference. 

Then  came  the  outbreak  of  our  Civil  War  and  as  a  war 


DECADENCE    OF    THE    SAILING    SHIPS    311 

measure  our  tariff  was  increased  on  everything  pertaining 
to  shipping  as  well  as  everything  else,  which  was  a  death- 
blow for  the  time  to  American  ships,  the  tariff  being 
prohibitory  to  competition  with  foreign  shipping.  Not 
having  a  force  to  protect  our  merchant  marine,  the 
greater  part  were  placed  under  a  foreign  flag,  mostly 
English,  for  protection.  Those  that  remained  and  still 
swung  "  Old  Glory  "  from  their  peaks,  became  a  prey 
to  Southern  privateers — the  "  Alabama,"  "  Shenan- 
doah,"  and  others,  while  those  that  escaped  capture 
were  relegated  to  distant  ports  to  pick  up  a  precarious 
livelihood  until  the  war  was  over. 

With  the  close  of  the  war  our  shipping  was  reduced 
to  a  minimum.  Every  ship  that  was  placed  under  the 
English  flag  for  protection  "  still  remained  an  English- 
man," as  they  could  not  again  sail  the  seas  under  the 
folds  of  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner."  When  they 
changed  their  flag,  they  changed  for  good. 

With  the  ending  of  the  war  all  hoped  that  the  tariff, 
especially  on  shipping,  would  be  reduced,  to  enable  our 
shipyards  to  again  resume  building,  and  enter  into  com- 
petition for  the  world's  carrying  trade,  where  we  had  lost 
prestige,  but  it  was  not  to  be.  The  tariff  was  still  kept 
on,  the  same  as  during  the  war,  and  no  one,  under  these 
conditions,  was  insane  enough  to  build.  The  carrying 
trade  of  the  world  that  should  have  been  in  American 
bottoms  was  allowed  to  slip  from  us,  and  with  it  one  of 
our  finest  New  England  industries  —  shipbuilding. 

Not  only  this,  but  the  nation  suffered  the  loss  of  the 
nurseries  and  schools  for  American  seamen,  brought  to 
perfection  in  our  merchant  marine,  which  stood  ready  as 
a  reserve  to  be  drawn  upon  in  time  of  war,  to  man  our 
war-ships  and  uphold  the  honor  of  the  American  flag. 

Shipbuilding  having  ceased,  men  and  boys  no  longer 


312      .  OCEAN    LIFE 

looked  to  the  sea  as  a  calling.  With  the  decadence  of 
the  sailing  ship  the  romance  of  the  sea  had  departed; 
to  the  young  there  was  no  longer  any  incentive  to  become 
a  sailor  and  their  minds  were  diverted  to  other  channels. 
American  captains  who  still  followed  their  profession 
hung  on  at  reduced  pay,  or  went  to  England,  passed  the 
examining  board,  and  obtained  command  of  English 
ships,  sailing  them  for  years.  All  these  considerations 
combined  caused  me  to  make  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
give  up  the  sea  and  go  into  business  on  shore. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Hambro,  of  Hambro  Bros., 
bankers,  who  came  over  from  London  to  attend  to  our 
rice  cargo,  we  were  enabled  to  visit  many  private  galleries 
of  paintings  which  otherwise  would  have  been  closed  to  us. 

Stoddard,  in  his  charming  work,  says  of  the  fine  old 
city  of  Antwerp  or  Anvers: 

"  Its  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  Flemish 
words  meaning  '  on  the  wharf/  and  that  indeed  is  the 
place  where  Antwerp's  prosperity  can  be  best  estimated; 
it  is  a  place  of  wonderful  activity,  and  there  its  splendid 
quays,  built  by  Napoleon  when  Antwerp  formed  a  part 
of  his  colossal  empire,  are  crowded  now  with  ships  and 
steamers.  Yet,  busy  as  it  is  to-day,  it  gives  us  but  a  hint 
of  what  its  commerce  was  three  hundred  years  ago. 
Then  thousands  of  vessels  floated  in  the  river  and  more 
than  five  hundred  were  arriving  and  departing  every 
day.  Merchants  came  hither  from  all  parts  of  Europe, 
and  in  addition  to  her  own  commercial  houses,  more 
than  a  thousand  foreign  firms  contended  here  in  friendly 
rivalry.  Antwerp,  however,  has  had  much  to  contend 
with  since  that  time.  Again  and  again  this  region  has 
been  the  cockpit  of  Europe,  and  for  years,  Antwerp's 
wealth  and  prosperity  declined,  but  now  she  is  rapidly 
recovering  from  her  disasters." 


DECADENCE    OF    THE    SAILING    SHIPS    313 

A  few  days  spent  in  Brussels,  visiting  objects  of  interest, 
completed  our  stay  on  the  continent,  when  returning  to 
the  "  Keystone,"  our  cargo  being  out,  I  closed  all  business 
matters,  turned  over  the  command  to  Captain  Berry, 
and  taking  the  steamer  for  London,  bade  Antwerp  a 
long  farewell. 

A  night's  run  brought  us  to  the  pier  just  below  London 
Bridge.  We  remained  in  London  a  few  weeks,  visiting 
our  old  friends  and  the  many  places  we  had  not  seen, 
among  them  the  Tower,  Hampton,  Windsor,  Chelsea 
and  Kew  Gardens,  Virginia  Water,  Eton  College,  Epping 
Forest  and  Greenwich. 

We  went  by  train  to  Liverpool,  having  secured  passage 
on  the  Cunarder  "  Palmyra,"  Captain  Watson,  remaining 
there  a  couple  of  days,  picking  up  what  few  things 
we  wanted  for  the  trip  home,  and  on  a  raw,  chilly 
morning,  took  our  departure  from  the  Prince's  Landing 
Stage  for  the  "  Palmyra,"  lying  at  anchor  in  the 
Mersey. 

"  All  aboard!  "  The  anchor  was  weighed,  and  the 
steamer  was  pointed  down  river.  The  saloon  passenger 
list  was  very  small,  not  exceeding  fifteen,  with  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  steerage. 

Although  the  passage  to  Boston  was  exceedingly  rough, 
the  steamer  encountering  very  heavy  westerly  and  nor'- 
westerly  gales,  with  violent  snow  and  hail  squalls  and 
high  seas,  yet  no  accident  occurred,  and  the  passengers, 
both  in  saloon  and  steerage  were  comparatively  com- 
fortable. It  was  too  rough  for  pleasure  on  deck  and 
amusements  for  the  steerage  were  being  constantly 
improvised.  A  mock  trial  held  the  boards  every  evening 
for  over  half  the  passage,  and  was  participated  in  by 
the  passengers  and  members  of  the  ship's  company; 
stewards,  sailors,  petty  officers,  representing  plaintiff 


314  OCEAN    LIFE 

and  defendant,  lawyers,  judge,  jury  and  witnesses,  crier, 
constables  or  police,  and  court  officers  generally. 

The  case  was  a  very  difficult  one  to  decide.  The 
arguments  on  both  sides  were  spicy  and  witty,  showing 
a  good  knowledge  of  legal  acumen,  and  it  became  such 
a  feature,  and  so  interesting  that  nightly  the  male  portion 
of  the  saloon  passengers  would  steal  forward  into  the 
steerage  to  listen  to  the  debates.  It  finally  ended  in  a 
verdict  for  the  female  defendant,  to  everybody's  satis- 
faction. 

Fifteen  days  from  £he  Mersey,  the  "  Palmyra  "  passed 
Boston  Light,  steamed  up  the  harbor,  and  docked  at  her 
pier  at  East  Boston,  our  long  passage  ended,  and  with 
it  my  quarter-century's  sea  experience,  from  a  boy  in  a 
ship's  forecastle  to  the  quarter-deck  as  captain  and  part 
owner. 


FINIS. 


